ON THE ZOOLOGY OF FERNANDO NOEONITA. 



473 



Notes on the Zoology of Fernando Noronha. 

 By H. N. EiDLEY, M.A., F.L.S. 



[Read 7th June, 1888.] 



(Plate XXX.) 



Introdtjction. 



On July 9th, 1887, the writer, with Mr. G-. A. Bamage, of 

 Edinburgh, started for Brazil to thoroughly explore the island 

 of Fernando Noronha, lying in long. 32° 25' 30" W. and lat. 

 3° 50' 10" S., at a distance of 194 miles N.E. from Cape San 

 Eoque, coast o£ Brazil. On arriving at Pernambuco we were 

 joined by the Eev. T. S. Lea, who came as a volunteer at his own 

 expense. The cost of the exj^edition Avas defrayed by tbe Hoyal 

 Society. After some delay at Pernambuco we embarked in the 

 ' Nasmyth ' steamship, trading to Liverpool, which was permitted 

 to land us at the island, as the regular steamer trading between 

 Pernambuco and Fernando Noronha was detained for along time 

 just as she was due to start. We arrived at our destination on 

 August 14th, and remained there till September 24th, when we 

 returned by the little Brazilian steamer to the mainland. We 

 occupied ourselves in exploring, and in collecting plants, animals, 

 and rock-specimens in all parts of the main islands, and visited 

 also most of the other islets which were accessible ; but owing 

 to the absence of boats, which, on account of the convict-station, 

 are not permitted on the island, we were unable to obtain much 

 by dredging. The coral-reefs, however, at low tide aftbrded an 

 abundant harvest of marine animals and plants. 



Having in the ' Introduction ' to my " Notes on the Botany 

 of Fernando Noronha," printed in the ' Journal of the Linnean 

 Society ' (Botany, vol. xxvii. p. 1), given a detailed account of the 

 group of islands of which this is the chief, as well as a history of 

 its discovery by Amerigo Vespucci in 1503, it will be unnecessary 

 to repeat what has there been stated. For the better under- 

 standing, however, of the special reports on Zoology which are 

 now furnished, the following extracts from the Introduction 

 referred to may be found useful. 



Vespucci's description of the trees and innumerable birds 

 is evidently correct, though most of the trees are destroyed, 

 and the birds far less abundant than they were then. The 

 lizards with two tails may have been a confusion of the 



LINN. JOURN. — ZOOLOGY, VOL. XX. 37 



