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posed by the falling 1 tide, were covered with these fish, sporting 
about and running at each other with open mouths; but as we ap- 
proached they so instantaneously buried themselves in the soft mud 
that their disappearance seemed the effect of magic: upon our re- 
tiring and attentively watching the spot, these curious animals 
would reappear as suddenly as they had before vanished. We fired 
at several, but so sudden were their motions that they generally 
escaped; two or three only were procured, which appeared, from 
their lying on the mud in an inactive state, to have been asleep ; 
they are furnished with very strong pectoral and ventral fins, with 
which, and with the anal fin, when required, they make a hole into 
which they drop. When sporting on the mud, the pectoral fins are 
used like legs, upon which they move very quickly; but nothing 
can exceed the instantaneous movement by which they disappear. 
Those that were shot were taken on board, but on account of the 
extreme heat of the weather they had become so putrified as to be 
totally unfit for preservation.” 
Off Cape Leveque “some remoras were swimming about the 
vessel the whole day.” In the vicinity of the Maret Islands “a 
shark was taken eleven feet long; and many, curious specimens of 
Crustacea and medusa were obtained by the towing-net. Some of 
the latter were so diaphanous as to be perfectly invisible when im- 
mersed in the water. Among the former were a species of phyl- 
losoma and the alima hyalina of Leach ( Cancer vitreus , Banks and 
Solander MSS.; Astacus vitreus, Fabr. Syst. ent.)*” 
“Upon the reef off the east end of the Midway Isles, in Bruns- 
wick Bay, we found several varieties of coral, particularly Ex- 
planaria mesenterina, Lam.; Caryophyllia fasti giata , Lam.; and 
Porites subdigitata, Lam. The only shell that we observed upon the 
reef was a Delphinula laciniata, Lam. ( Turbo delphinus, Linn.).” 
After taking in supplies at Mauritius the “Bathurst” pro- 
ceeded to King George’s Sound to take in wood and water previous 
to commencing the examination of the west coast. She remained in 
the Sound for this purpose from Dec. 23, 1821, to Jan. 6, 1822. 
Five seals were killed on Seal Island for the sake of their skins; 
the boat’s crew also found some penguins ( Aptenodytes minor) and 
a nest of iguanas on the island. Mr. Montgomery shot a few para- 
keets and water-birds on Green Island. 
“During our visit,” King remarks, “we caught but very few 
fish, and only a few oysters were obtained, on account of the banks 
being seldom uncovered. Shell-fish of other sorts were obtained at 
Mistaken Island in abundance, of which the most common were a 
patella and an haliotis; the inhabitant of the former made a coarse, 
although a savoury dish. There were also varieties of the following 
genera, viz. : lepas, chiton, cardium, pinna, nerita, two or three 
species of ostrea, a small mytilus, and a small buccinum of great 
beauty; that covered the rocks, and at low water might be collected 
in abundance.” 
