124 A DAY AT CHRISTMAS ISLAND. 



Christmas Island was visited by H. M.S. Flying Fish in i 

 and by H. M. S. Egeria in the year 1888, and Mr. J. J. LiSTER, 

 who remained on the island for a week, made considerable 

 collections of the plants and animals there, accounts of which 

 were published in the Journals of the Linnean and Zoological 

 Society, Much, however, remains to be done, and it was with 

 great pleasure that I found myself last August in H. M. S. 

 Redpole bound for Christmas Island. Unfortunately the ves- 

 sel was only able to remain there for the inside of one day, so 

 that I could not get more than a glimpse of its flora and fau- 

 na. Many of the trees and shrubs were out of flower at that 

 time too, so that I was unable to get specimens of them. I 

 managed, however, to make several additions to the list of 

 plants published by Mr. HEMSLEY from Mr. Lister's collec- 

 tions. Among the most interesting of which was a very 

 pretty new orchid, Saccolabium archytas. 



Viewed from the sea, near Flying Fish Cove, the island ap- 

 peared as a long straight ridge rising abruptly from the sea, 

 and densely covered with high forest, the deep green of which 

 is dotted with white specks — the innumerable nesting sea- 

 fowl — while here and there are orange-red patches of the bloom 

 of a handsome coral-tree [Erythrind). 



The whole island is about nine miles across, and 

 its highest point is nearly 1,200 feet above sea level. 

 The cliffs are mostly abrupt, but in some places are patches 

 of beach, composed of broken coral, shells and stones. 

 The surrounding seas are very deep, and there are but few 

 spots shallow enough for anchorage of a large ship. 



On the beach at' Flying Fish Cove, Mr. ANDREW ROSS has 

 established his little colony, at present consisting of 15 per- 

 sons, and is cultivating coffee, coco-nuts and vegetables, for 

 which purp'ose the brown soil saturated with guano is well 

 suited. 



The core of the island is said to be composed of volcanic 

 rock, and I saw a few pebbles on the beach consisting of some 

 kind of trap, but though I ascended to the top of the ridge, I 

 saw none of the rock in situ. The whole island is covered 

 with coral-limestone, a hard yellowish rock emitting a ringing 

 sound when struck. In many places it occurs in the form of 



