Whilst the party continued the pathway I landed on the sandy beach and explored the interior of the country for several miles. We found but very little fresh water and the country was dreadfully burnt up; the heavy rain which had fallen last night however gave signs of the approach of the wet season. We passed several dry watercourses, in many of which we dug for it, but all that we obtained was brackish. We had another squall this afternoon, similar to last night's. LANDING STOCK. LABOUR IN LANDING STORES. December 9. This day we pitched the tents, disembarked the sheep and goats, and some of the stores. It was no slight pleasure to see for the first time those animals landed on a new country, and they appeared themselves to rejoice in their escape from the close confinement on shipboard. We here first hoisted the British flag, and went through the ceremony of taking possession of the territory in the name of Her Majesty and her heirs for ever. The next few days were passed in moving the stores from the landing-place to the tent; as it was necessary that before I allowed the schooner to start we should be amply provided with all necessaries so as to be able to maintain ourselves for some time, in the event of anything happening to the vessel: this was very fatiguing work for the whole party but they all exerted themselves with the most strenuous energy, especially Mr. Lushington; and our labours were varied by several amusing novelties which relieved the monotony of the employment. REMARKABLE FISHES. Sometimes as we sat at our dinner near the landing-place we watched a strange species of fish (genus Chironectes, Cuvier). These little animals are provided with arms, at least with members shaped like such as far as the elbow, but the lower part resembles a fin; they are amphibious, living equally well on the mud or in the water; in moving in the mud they walk, as it were, on their elbows, and the lower arm or fin then projects like a great splay foot; but in swimming the whole of this apparatus is used as a fin. They have also the property of being able to bury themselves almost instantaneously in the soft mud when disturbed. The uncouth gambols and leaps of these anomalous creatures were very singular.