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SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
can, however, be very little more worth knowing 
of them, as I apprehend the difficulty of landing 
is too great ever to expect to gain much infor- 
mation; for it is only in Shark’s Bay that a 
vessel can anchor with safety. 
With respect to the subjects of natural history 
that have been procured upon the voyage, it is 
much to be lamented that the small size of the 
vessel, and our constant professional duties, 
prevented my extending them. Of quadrupeds 
we saw but few. Birds were very numerous, 
but the operation of skinning and preserving 
them would have taken up more time than could 
be afforded. A few insects, some shells, and 
a small series of specimens of the geology of 
the parts we landed at, were among the only 
things obtained, excepting the extensive and 
valuable collection of plants formed by Mr. Cun- 
ningham, which are now in the possession of 
Mr. Alton, of the Royal Gardens at Kew ; for 
which establishment it would seem that they 
were solely procured. It was in fact the only 
department of natural history in which any pains 
were taken, and for which every assistance was 
rendered. A small herbarium was, however, 
collected by me, containing nearly five hundred 
species: they are in the possession of my re- 
spected friend Aylmer B. Lambert, Esq., whose 
