Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2Grey, George
History
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2
Grey, George
Natural history -- Australia -- Western Australia; Western Australia -- Discovery and exploration
I found a sort of worm in the coral which had the power of extending its
head like an English worm; its body then appeared to be composed of two
portions, the fore part being much slighter than the other. Its
dimensions were:
Length of fore part of body 0.4 inch.
Length of hind part 0.6 inch.
Breadth, or diameter of cylinder 0.1 inch.
In the coral there was also another insect, not unlike a centipede.
Length 0.9 inch.
Breadth at head 0.08 inch.
In the inmost recesses of the coral there was a minute bivalve shell and
also a very minute species of crab.
One remarkable circumstance relating to St. Helena is that it is of a
basaltic formation exactly resembling that of the Isle of France and the
North-west of New Holland; and that, although so widely separated in
longitude, these places lie in nearly the same latitude.
When you quit the sandstone ranges of the North-west of Australia
reptiles which have been before very numerous at once become scarce. I
never saw a snake in this great basaltic district although there were
plenty in the sandstone. This however is only negative evidence. Brookes,
in his History of St. Helena (second edition page 24) says: "There are
neither frogs, toads, nor snakes in the island." In the Isle of Bourbon
there are neither toads nor snakes. In the Mauritius likewise there are
neither toads nor snakes, and only one species of frog, whilst the bones
of the land tortoise (Testudo indica) are only found in a fossil state.
Also, the highest land in St. Helena is 2800 feet; in the Mauritius about
2900 feet (scarcely); and in the volcanic district of North-west
Australia about the same height.
July 26. At sea.
We caught a great variety of shrimp-like animals; these little things
when disturbed emitted a brilliant phosphorescent light. We saw scarcely
any gelatinous animals.
July 29.
Caught two small crabs (Nautilograpsus); these species have the power of
swimming by means of the fringe-like fins with which their legs are
provided. Several other crabs were also caught; some with their eggs
attached, and two varieties of shrimp-like animals with eggs. Where these
were abundant the sea was very luminous. Four or five of these were of a
brilliant prussian blue colour, with silver-coloured spots on the back;
others were of a very delicate pink colour; the tentaculae of both of
them were of a delicate prussian blue colour.
We also caught a species of small Janthina, nearly resembling those we
had found before, but they were larger; moreover the species of barnacle
attached to them was totally different from any we had before found, as
if each species of nautilus had its own kind of parasite. This is worthy
of attention.
August 8.
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