146 A NATURALIST ON DESERT ISLANDS. 



work of geographical exploration, of which there would 

 appear to be still plenty left to do for those ambitious 

 enough, or for those who are in the position to undertake 

 it. 



But it is not every one's lot to endeavour such high 

 emprises as those, and fortunately, without aspiring to 

 such heights as geographical exploration, there are still 

 left humbler fields and spheres where the naturalist may 

 find his Guanahani, be it at home or abroad. Or so at 

 least we thought, as on that day in April, five years ago, 

 the modest little island of Blanquilla rose unobtru- 

 sively from the sea, and we watched its low line of tawny 

 yellow gradually resolve itself from the vague horizon, 

 where sea and sky merged into one. 



There must be few people, even among those who are 

 well acquainted with the West Indies, who have ever seen 

 or heard of this little island. It lies, so to speak, on the 

 fringe of a continent ; being situated on the very northern- 

 most edge of the continental shelf which extends from 

 the mainland of Venezuela, ninety-five miles away to the 

 south. Roughly speaking, it is a pear-shaped island, 

 with its thin end pointing due nortb, and with its base 

 to the south. It has a length of between six and seven 

 miles, while the breadth at its southern or widest part is 

 between four and five. 



Of all the islands strung out along the Venezuelan coast, 

 lefes seemed to be known of the natural history of Blan- 

 quilla than of any ; and of any other kind of history it 

 is fortunate in possessing practically none. Dampier 

 in 1682 landed on it and stayed ten days. What he and 

 his companions found to do during such a long visit, on a 

 desolate and uninhabited island, is rather a mystery ; but, 

 as we shall have occasion to note later on, he gives as 

 good a description of the island as any of the more 

 modem naturalists who have been there. Humboldt talks 

 about it, but was never on it. Dauxion Lavayasse * visited 

 it in 1807 and stayed three days. About the middle of 



♦Voyage aux iles de Trinidad de Tobaygo, etc. Paris, 1813. 



