﻿132 
  

  

  Letters 
  from 
  the 
  Naturalists 
  attached 
  to 
  [Dec. 
  17 
  

  

  nasal 
  sac. 
  In 
  D, 
  neither 
  the 
  ethmoidal 
  nor 
  the 
  trabecular 
  cartilages 
  are 
  shown, 
  but 
  

   the 
  contour 
  of 
  the 
  brain 
  is 
  indicated 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  longitudinal 
  

   muscles, 
  which 
  represent 
  the 
  anterior 
  myotomes 
  of 
  Ampkioxus, 
  are 
  arranged 
  is 
  

   shown. 
  The 
  tentacles 
  of 
  Ampkioxus 
  are 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  tentacles 
  of 
  the 
  

   Amnwccete, 
  the 
  hood- 
  like 
  " 
  upper 
  hp 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  obviously 
  answering 
  to 
  the 
  

   median 
  prolongation 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  Ampkioxus 
  with 
  the 
  two 
  lateral 
  folds 
  of 
  inte- 
  

   gument 
  which 
  he 
  outside 
  the 
  bases 
  of 
  the 
  tentacles 
  and 
  are 
  continued 
  back 
  into 
  

   the 
  rent 
  ro 
  -lateral 
  ridges. 
  The 
  relative 
  shortening 
  of 
  the 
  notochord, 
  and 
  lengthen- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  that 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  brain 
  which 
  lies 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  origins 
  of 
  the 
  optic 
  nerves, 
  

   in 
  C, 
  as 
  compared 
  with 
  P>, 
  is 
  remarkable. 
  

  

  A 
  line 
  is 
  drawn 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  figures 
  through 
  the 
  anterior 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  nasal 
  sacs 
  

   (Na-Na) 
  another 
  has 
  the 
  same 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  eyes 
  {Op-Op); 
  and 
  a 
  third 
  

   (Hy-Hy) 
  passes 
  through 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  auditory 
  sac 
  and 
  hyoidean 
  arch. 
  

   1, 
  2, 
  3, 
  hyoidean 
  and 
  first 
  and 
  second 
  branchial 
  clefts 
  of 
  Am 
  mocoztes 
  ; 
  i., 
  n., 
  

   in., 
  iv., 
  &c, 
  myotomes 
  of 
  Ampkioxus 
  ; 
  My, 
  myelon 
  or 
  spinal 
  cord 
  ; 
  Ck, 
  noto- 
  

   chord. 
  

  

  IV. 
  Letters 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  Naturalists 
  attached 
  to 
  the 
  Transit- 
  

   of- 
  Venus 
  Expedition 
  at 
  Rodriguez. 
  

  

  Government 
  House, 
  Port 
  Mathurin, 
  

   Eodriguez, 
  Kov. 
  2, 
  1874. 
  

  

  Dear 
  Sie,- 
  — 
  I 
  write 
  to 
  give 
  you 
  a 
  short 
  account 
  of 
  my 
  proceedings 
  

   and 
  success 
  here 
  so 
  far, 
  in 
  my 
  explorations 
  of 
  the 
  Eodriguez 
  bone- 
  

   caverns. 
  

  

  I 
  must 
  confess 
  to 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  degree 
  of 
  disappointment 
  on 
  my 
  first 
  

   inspection 
  of 
  the 
  caverns 
  ; 
  and 
  you 
  will 
  understand 
  the 
  cause, 
  I 
  think, 
  

   when 
  I 
  inform 
  you 
  that 
  out 
  of 
  thirteen 
  caves 
  which 
  I 
  found 
  on 
  my 
  arrival, 
  

   and 
  which 
  I 
  believed 
  till 
  lately 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  only 
  ones, 
  twelve 
  bore 
  evident, 
  

   and 
  some 
  recent, 
  signs 
  of 
  previous 
  digging. 
  However, 
  I 
  set 
  to 
  work 
  at 
  

   once, 
  and, 
  with 
  much 
  diligent 
  search, 
  had 
  found 
  five 
  new 
  caves 
  by 
  the 
  time 
  

   that 
  we 
  had 
  finished 
  the 
  first 
  thirteen. 
  Out 
  of 
  these 
  I 
  have 
  reason 
  to 
  

   believe 
  that, 
  in 
  three 
  of 
  them, 
  no 
  mortal 
  foot 
  has 
  ever 
  been 
  previous 
  to 
  

   mine 
  ; 
  for 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  all 
  were 
  closed 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  falling-in 
  of 
  the 
  rock, 
  and 
  

   it 
  was 
  by 
  this 
  sign 
  that 
  I 
  guessed 
  at 
  their 
  existence. 
  We 
  had 
  to 
  work 
  

   some 
  time 
  at 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  big 
  iron 
  mallet 
  before 
  entrance 
  could 
  be 
  

   effected. 
  In 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  caves 
  I 
  believe 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  two 
  Soli- 
  

   taires, 
  without 
  admixture 
  of 
  those 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  individuals. 
  Of 
  the 
  truth 
  

   of 
  this 
  I 
  am 
  pretty 
  certain 
  ; 
  for 
  they 
  were 
  clearly 
  the 
  bones 
  of 
  a 
  male 
  and 
  

   female 
  which 
  had 
  fallen 
  down 
  into 
  a 
  cleft, 
  from 
  which 
  egress 
  to 
  so 
  

   unwieldy 
  a 
  bird 
  was 
  impossible. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  had 
  fallen 
  into 
  dust 
  from 
  exposure 
  to 
  the 
  air, 
  being 
  

   only 
  partially 
  covered 
  with 
  sand, 
  whilst 
  others 
  had 
  been 
  altogether 
  

   removed, 
  whether 
  by 
  water 
  or 
  not 
  I 
  coidd 
  not 
  say, 
  for 
  I 
  found 
  no 
  trace 
  

   of 
  its 
  action 
  there. 
  The 
  same 
  cause, 
  decay, 
  which 
  had 
  near^annihilated 
  

  

  