ii 8 
Notices of Books. 
[January, 
may even ask whether it would not be possible to secure an 
agreement among civilised nations against turning loose pigs, 
goats, or rabbits on any island not inhabited by carnivorous 
animals. Had it not been for goats much of the original flora 
of St. Helena would be in existence at the present day. The 
terrestrial faunae of the islands and coasts visited were doubtless 
examined in the same manner as the flora. 
Thus, in addition to details of what may be called sea-work, 
we find a very complete account of the Bermudas, the Falkland 
group, Tristan d’Acunha, Ascension, the Ac^ores, besides notices 
of Madeira, the Cape Verde islands, the Rocks of St. Paul, and 
Fernando Noronha. In this latter island, a Brazilian convidt 
station, distant about 180 miles from the mainland, and hence 
likely to present interesting correspondences or differences, the 
expedition met with a strange reception. The governor would 
allow them to land, offered them horses and guides and every 
possible accommodation, but on condition that no scientific work 
was to be done. “ Captain Nares asked, if we saw a butterfly 
might we not catch it, but he said he would prefer that we 
should not !” This was a great disappointment, as some of the 
party had intended to prepare a monograph of the natural 
history of the island. On approaching Bahia they encountered 
one of those strange hosts of butterflies which are occasionally 
met with on the coasts of Brazil, soaring out seawards. They 
belonged to the slight and delicate genus Heliconia, and fluttered 
all day over the ship and over the sea as far as the eye could 
reach, like the flakes in a heavy snow-storm. This curious 
phenomenon is not by any means perfectly understood. 
At Sto. Amaro the party met with an ornithological incident 
which may be worth mentioning. “ As the truck ran quickly 
down the incline the swarthy young barbarians, attracted by the 
novelty, crowded round it, and suddenly the agonised cries of a 
child, followed by low moanings,rang out from under the wheels, 
and a jerk of the drag pulled the car up and nearly jerked us out 
of our seats. We jumped out and looked nervously under the 
wheels to see what had happened, but there was no child there. 
The young barbarians looked at us vaguely and curiously, but 
not as if anything tragical had occurred, and we were just get- 
ting into the car again, feeling a little bewildered, when a great 
green parrot in a cage close beside us went through another of his 
best performances in the shape of a loud mocking laugh. A 
wave of relief passed over the party, and the drivers expressed 
to the parrot their sense of his conduct, I fear strongly. For a 
fortnight dredging was carried on with great success in the 
shallow waters of the bay, almost every haul bringing up large 
numbers of fine tropical shore forms, when one of the men on 
leave was suddenly and fatally attacked with yellow fever, and 
it was deemed prudent to weigh anchor at once. 
