﻿134 
  

  

  Letters 
  from 
  the 
  Naturalists 
  attached 
  to 
  

  

  [Dec. 
  17, 
  

  

  The 
  same 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  another 
  lizard 
  which 
  lives 
  

   on 
  Frigate 
  Island, 
  a 
  small 
  island 
  lying 
  off 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Rodriguez. 
  

  

  With 
  regard 
  to 
  freshwater 
  fish, 
  there 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  four 
  kinds, 
  

   viz. 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1. 
  A 
  species 
  of 
  perch, 
  commonly 
  called 
  carp 
  here. 
  

  

  2. 
  A 
  species 
  of 
  eel, 
  in 
  most 
  points 
  agreeing 
  with 
  AnguiTta 
  marmorata, 
  

   but 
  differing 
  in 
  one 
  important 
  point 
  at 
  least. 
  It 
  undoubtedly 
  enters 
  the 
  

   streams 
  here, 
  as 
  the 
  specimen 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  was 
  caught 
  about 
  a 
  quarter 
  

   of 
  a 
  mile 
  above 
  the 
  place 
  whence 
  we 
  get 
  our 
  drinking- 
  water. 
  

  

  3. 
  A 
  species 
  of 
  Uleotris, 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  caught 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  

   place 
  as 
  the 
  eel. 
  This 
  fish, 
  however, 
  undoubtedly 
  enters 
  brackish 
  

   water. 
  

  

  4. 
  A 
  species 
  of 
  Mugilus. 
  I 
  have 
  my 
  doubts 
  as 
  to 
  whether 
  this 
  fish 
  

   can 
  really 
  be 
  called 
  a 
  freshwater 
  species. 
  

  

  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  Arachnida, 
  I 
  have 
  collected 
  a 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  

   of 
  spiders, 
  and 
  have 
  got 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  small 
  scorpion 
  which 
  is 
  very 
  

   fairly 
  common 
  on 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  A 
  large 
  Scolopendra 
  is 
  very 
  common 
  ; 
  but 
  a 
  small 
  species 
  is 
  not 
  so, 
  and 
  

   I 
  have 
  only 
  succeeded 
  in 
  procuring 
  one 
  specimen. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  collected 
  a 
  very 
  considerable 
  quantity 
  of 
  insects, 
  more 
  especially 
  

   of 
  the 
  order 
  Coleoptera. 
  

  

  Perijjatus 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  find, 
  though 
  I 
  have 
  made 
  diligent 
  

   search 
  for 
  it. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  land-crab, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  procured. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  only 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  find 
  one 
  very 
  minute 
  species 
  of 
  freshwater 
  

   sponge, 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  rare. 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  found 
  two 
  small 
  spe- 
  

   cimens, 
  which, 
  however, 
  came 
  from 
  two 
  streams 
  in 
  widely 
  different 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  island. 
  

  

  The 
  Vermes 
  are 
  not 
  numerously 
  represented 
  on 
  the 
  island. 
  There 
  are 
  

   one 
  or 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Lumbricus. 
  There 
  are 
  no 
  leeches 
  in 
  the 
  streams, 
  

   nor 
  are 
  there 
  planarians 
  either 
  there 
  or 
  on 
  land. 
  There 
  is, 
  however, 
  a 
  

   beautiful 
  nemertine, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  fouud 
  under 
  stones 
  and 
  wood 
  in 
  damp 
  

   places. 
  I 
  have 
  also 
  found 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Gordius 
  in 
  a 
  stream. 
  

  

  Belie 
  ve 
  me, 
  

  

  Tours 
  truly, 
  

  

  The 
  Secretary 
  U.S. 
  Geoege 
  Gxjllivee. 
  

  

  P.S. 
  — 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  send 
  any 
  specimeus 
  home 
  at 
  present, 
  as, 
  being 
  nearly 
  

   all 
  in 
  spirit, 
  they 
  still 
  want 
  attention, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  necessary 
  for 
  me 
  

   to 
  keep 
  specimens 
  by 
  me, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  ascertain 
  whether 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  

   got 
  specimens 
  which 
  I 
  may 
  find. 
  

  

  