LEAVE CHRISTMAS HARBOUR. 
129 
a novel and curious appearance ; and the noise from 
these rookeries was deafening. Besides these birds, 
we were enabled to secure specimens of twenty other 
varieties. 
Probably there is no place under the same parallel 
of latitude in either hemisphere which affords so 
scanty a field for the naturalist as this barren spot. 
Remote, and comparatively bare of vegetation, still 
there are several interesting points connected with 
its botany. Though now destitute of even a shrub, 
the abundance of fossil remains proves that many 
parts were for successive ages clothed with trees, 
which were probably destroyed by frequent over- 
flowings of volcanic matter, of which the remains 
found and the numerous beds of coal afford abundant 
proof ; since that period it appears to have remained 
in a state of almost entire vegetable destitution. The 
end of January found us in Christmas Harbour (the 
northern extremity of the island), the tranquil waters 
of which were quite a relief after the knocking about 
we experienced during the past month ; but every- 
thing was now ready for sea, and later in the day 
anchor was weighed, and under sail we beat out, 
with a fine fresh breeze, passing close along Terror 
Reef, over which the sea was breaking with suffi- 
cient force to indicate its danger, and affording a 
capital sight of the celebrated 44 Arch Rock,” an 
oblong block, 150 feet high, of bedded volcanic for- 
mation, like a piece of ordinary masonry, with a 
