﻿1875.] 
  

  

  Natural 
  History 
  of 
  Kerguelen's 
  Island. 
  

  

  353 
  

  

  but, 
  probably, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  do 
  not 
  cease 
  flowering 
  until 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  winter. 
  

   When 
  we 
  first 
  arrived 
  in 
  Royal 
  Sound 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  snow, 
  

   and 
  scarcely 
  any 
  thing 
  had 
  begun 
  to 
  come 
  out. 
  The 
  Pringlea 
  was 
  far 
  

   advanced 
  in 
  bud, 
  barely 
  commencing 
  to 
  blossom. 
  The 
  Accena 
  was 
  just 
  

   beginning 
  to 
  burst 
  into 
  leaf. 
  About 
  the 
  first 
  week 
  in 
  November, 
  Festuca 
  

   Cookii 
  came 
  out, 
  and, 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  later, 
  Azorella 
  selago. 
  The 
  young 
  fronds 
  

   of 
  the 
  ferns 
  were 
  just 
  about 
  to 
  unroll. 
  In 
  the 
  third 
  week 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   month, 
  Montia 
  fontana 
  and 
  Accena 
  affinis 
  were 
  in 
  flower 
  in 
  a 
  sheltered 
  

   spot, 
  and 
  Leptinella 
  plumosa 
  was 
  first 
  found 
  in 
  blossom. 
  Galium 
  antarc- 
  

   ticum 
  appeared 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  date. 
  A 
  week 
  later, 
  Ranunculus 
  hydro- 
  

   philus 
  and 
  a 
  Festuca 
  (jpurpurascens 
  ?) 
  were 
  out, 
  and 
  Lycopodium 
  clavatum 
  

   was 
  sprouting. 
  By 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  month, 
  Trioida 
  and 
  Lyallia 
  Tcer- 
  

   guelensis 
  and 
  also 
  Ranunculus 
  crassipes 
  were 
  in 
  flower 
  ; 
  the 
  Pringlea 
  was 
  

   everywhere 
  past 
  flowering 
  (excepting 
  upon 
  the 
  mountains), 
  and 
  Aira 
  

   antarctica 
  began 
  to 
  shoot 
  forth 
  its 
  panicles. 
  Before 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  month 
  

   a 
  Carex 
  came 
  out 
  ; 
  but 
  Bulliarda 
  and 
  other 
  plants 
  delayed 
  still. 
  

  

  A 
  few 
  species 
  of 
  Mammals 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  island. 
  

   Mice 
  (evidently 
  Mus 
  musculus, 
  L.) 
  are 
  common 
  along 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  have 
  

   been 
  found 
  by 
  us 
  in 
  various 
  places. 
  The 
  Rabbits, 
  transported 
  by 
  order 
  

   of 
  the 
  Admiralty, 
  from 
  the 
  convict 
  settlement 
  in 
  Table 
  Bay 
  have 
  been 
  

   landed 
  by 
  H.M.S. 
  ' 
  Volage' 
  in 
  Royal 
  Sound. 
  They 
  share 
  with 
  the 
  birds 
  

   holes 
  of 
  the 
  Petrels, 
  and 
  are 
  (it 
  is 
  almost 
  superfluous 
  to 
  mention) 
  pro- 
  

   pagating 
  freely. 
  Their 
  favourite 
  food 
  is 
  the 
  Accena 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  occasion- 
  

   ally 
  eat 
  Pringlea-lea,\ 
  T 
  es 
  and 
  gnaw 
  away 
  the 
  green 
  surface 
  of 
  Azorella. 
  

   In 
  the 
  Crozettes, 
  whose 
  climate 
  and 
  flora 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  resemble 
  those 
  of 
  

   this 
  island, 
  rabbits 
  have 
  become 
  extremely 
  abundant, 
  and 
  so 
  rank 
  and 
  

   coarse 
  that 
  the 
  sealers 
  will 
  not 
  eat 
  them. 
  Groats 
  are 
  increasing 
  in 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  on 
  the 
  leeward 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  mainland. 
  

  

  Whales 
  and 
  Porpoises 
  occasionally 
  enter 
  the 
  Sound. 
  Old 
  skulls 
  of 
  

   the 
  latter, 
  wanting 
  the 
  lower 
  jaw, 
  are 
  cast 
  up 
  here 
  and 
  there 
  on 
  the 
  

   beaches. 
  

  

  Up 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  time, 
  I 
  have 
  captured 
  only 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Seals 
  — 
  a 
  

   female 
  Sea-Leopard 
  and 
  two 
  males 
  of 
  a 
  Platyrhine 
  Seal. 
  The 
  other 
  kinds 
  

   frequent 
  the 
  more 
  open 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  islands. 
  

  

  Twenty-two 
  species 
  of 
  birds 
  at 
  the 
  fewest, 
  perhaps 
  twenty-three, 
  fre- 
  

   quent 
  Royal 
  Sound, 
  viz. 
  a 
  Chionis, 
  a 
  Cormorant, 
  a 
  Teal, 
  a 
  Tern, 
  a 
  Gull, 
  

   a 
  Skua, 
  eleven 
  (perhaps 
  twelve) 
  Petrels, 
  two 
  Albatrosses, 
  and 
  three 
  (per- 
  

   haps 
  four) 
  Penguins. 
  Of 
  these 
  I 
  have 
  procured 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  six; 
  

   also 
  of 
  six 
  Petrels, 
  one 
  Albatross, 
  and 
  two 
  Penguins. 
  The 
  Thalassi- 
  

   dromce 
  are 
  preparing 
  for 
  laying. 
  

  

  Pish 
  are 
  rather 
  scarce 
  in 
  Observatory 
  Bay. 
  Only 
  three 
  species 
  have 
  

   hitherto 
  occurred 
  to 
  us, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  common 
  under 
  stones 
  at 
  low 
  

   water. 
  The 
  remains 
  of 
  a 
  Raia 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  picked 
  up 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   islands 
  by 
  an 
  officer 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  Volage 
  but 
  hardly 
  sufficient 
  is 
  left 
  to 
  enable 
  

   the 
  species 
  to 
  be 
  determined. 
  It 
  is 
  allied 
  to 
  R. 
  clavata 
  and 
  R. 
  radiata. 
  

  

  