THE CORAL ISLES. 357 
THE CORAL ISLES. 
1. 
The Coralline Isles in the deep blue sea 
At daybreak how beauteous to look upon ! — 
As over the reef the surge rolls free, 
Like a circlet of pearls round an emerald stone. 
And giant forms of rocks and trees x 
Burst through the veil of mist and spume 
And oft the fitful freshening breeze 
Comes redolent of rich perfume. 2 
And the man-of-war Hawk, and the Tropic Bird, 
Sweep over the track where the dolphin shines, 3 
And the plaintive voice of the dove is heard 
In the evergreen groves of the Corallines. 
2. 
The Coralline Isles in the troublous sea 
At noontide are awful to gaze upon ; 
When the tempest louring fearfully 
Environ the sea with a lurid zone. 
And the waterspout and the whirlwind urge 
Their devious way through sea and air, 
And the cachalots huge from the deep emerge, 
Attracted by the lightning's glare.* 
And the man-of-war Hawk, and the Tropic Bird, 
Impell'd by fear, disgorge their spoils, 5 
And the curlew's piercing wail is heard — 
And danger is rife round the Coral Isles. 
NOTES BY THE AUTHOR — REV. G. H. NOBBS. 
(1) A thin mist or haze greatly magnifies the appearance of rocks or 
trees ; this is especially the case among the low islands in the Pacific. 
(2) At early morning, the wind, when blowing from the land, brings 
with it a gush of pleasant odours. 
(3) These birds are constantly on the watch for the dolphin, whose 
presence is betrayed by his flashing scales ; and the agile birds pounce 
upon the flying fish, of which he is in chase. 
(4) A singular phenomenon sometimes attending these squalls is the 
sudden appearance of the spermaceti whales, beating the water furiously 
with their tails. 
(5) So alarmed do these birds become, either from the intense glare of 
the lightning, or the astounding crash of the thunder, that they eject 
rom their gullets the fish they had swallowed 
