﻿1874.] 
  

  

  the 
  Transit-Expedition 
  at 
  Rodriguez. 
  

  

  133 
  

  

  others 
  might 
  have 
  entirely 
  removed 
  these. 
  I 
  found 
  amongst 
  these 
  about 
  

   thirty 
  rings 
  of 
  the 
  trachea 
  or 
  tracheae. 
  

  

  Since 
  then 
  I 
  have 
  found 
  a 
  small 
  hook 
  in 
  another 
  cave, 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  was 
  

   difficult, 
  from 
  the 
  small 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  entrance, 
  to 
  penetrate. 
  Into 
  this 
  also 
  

   a 
  slit 
  or 
  cleft 
  from 
  the 
  surface 
  had 
  led, 
  but 
  had 
  since 
  been 
  obliterated. 
  

   In 
  this 
  I 
  found, 
  I 
  should 
  say, 
  seven 
  " 
  sets 
  " 
  of 
  bones 
  of 
  Solitaire. 
  

   These 
  were 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  mixed 
  up 
  together 
  by 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  water 
  ; 
  but 
  

   they 
  were 
  still, 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  extent, 
  in 
  groups, 
  each 
  group 
  being 
  those 
  of 
  

   an 
  individual. 
  Amongst 
  these 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  perfect 
  skull, 
  with 
  maxillae 
  

   attached, 
  and 
  the 
  three 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  mandible 
  lying 
  close 
  by, 
  four 
  perfect 
  

   and 
  several 
  injured 
  furcula, 
  and 
  many 
  rings 
  of 
  tracheae. 
  

  

  I 
  propose 
  soon 
  to 
  try 
  my 
  fortune 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  marsh 
  near 
  here, 
  which 
  looks 
  

   as 
  if 
  it 
  might 
  originally 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  lakelet 
  or 
  pond. 
  I 
  am 
  induced 
  to 
  do 
  

   so 
  by 
  the 
  success 
  that 
  my 
  labours 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  locality 
  in 
  Mau- 
  

   ritius. 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  " 
  near 
  here," 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  slip 
  of 
  the 
  pen 
  ; 
  I 
  should 
  

   have 
  said 
  " 
  near 
  my 
  encampment 
  at 
  the 
  caverns." 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  found 
  an 
  immense 
  quantity 
  of 
  tortoise-bones, 
  from 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  

   only 
  make 
  a 
  selection 
  before 
  leaving. 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  exhumed 
  a 
  great 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  of 
  bones 
  of 
  -smaller 
  birds; 
  but 
  I 
  rather 
  hesitate 
  before 
  giving 
  a 
  

   description 
  of 
  their 
  genera. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  afraid 
  that 
  I 
  cannot 
  send 
  any 
  bones 
  by 
  this 
  mail, 
  as 
  the 
  difficulty 
  

   of 
  transport 
  is 
  so 
  very 
  great. 
  I 
  have 
  every 
  week 
  brought 
  back 
  a 
  few 
  

   bones 
  of 
  Solitaire, 
  but 
  have 
  had 
  hardly 
  any 
  time 
  to 
  put 
  even 
  these 
  in 
  

   gelatine, 
  without 
  which 
  operation 
  they 
  would 
  not 
  travel 
  with 
  any 
  degree 
  

   of 
  safety. 
  

  

  I 
  am, 
  dear 
  Sir, 
  

  

  Very 
  obediently 
  yours, 
  

   To 
  Prof. 
  Huxley. 
  Henry 
  H. 
  Slater. 
  

  

  Rodriguez, 
  Nov. 
  3, 
  1874. 
  

   My 
  dear 
  Sir, 
  — 
  A 
  mail 
  being 
  about 
  to 
  leave 
  the 
  island 
  by 
  H.M.S. 
  

   6 
  Shearwater,' 
  I 
  now 
  send 
  you 
  some 
  account 
  of 
  my 
  proceedings 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   present 
  time. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  searched 
  for 
  frogs, 
  more 
  especially 
  tree-frogs, 
  but 
  all 
  the 
  natives 
  

   of 
  the 
  island 
  tell 
  me 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  none 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  neither 
  heard 
  

   nor 
  seen 
  them, 
  I 
  conclude 
  that 
  this 
  must 
  be 
  the 
  case. 
  "With 
  regard 
  to 
  

   lizards, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  house-lizard 
  very 
  abundant. 
  It 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  

   genus 
  Perijna, 
  and 
  is 
  very 
  probably 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  that 
  found 
  in 
  Mauritius. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  found 
  in 
  houses, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  trees, 
  beneath 
  the 
  bark 
  of 
  which 
  

   it 
  lays 
  its 
  eggs. 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  told 
  of 
  a 
  much 
  larger 
  lizard 
  which 
  inhabits 
  

   a 
  certain 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  and 
  have 
  myself 
  searched 
  the 
  spot, 
  but 
  have 
  

   been 
  unable 
  to 
  find 
  it. 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  offered 
  a 
  reward 
  for 
  a 
  specimen, 
  but 
  

   have 
  not 
  yet 
  procured 
  one. 
  

  

  