The Fauna and Flora of the Keeling Islands, Indian Ocean

Abstract

I HAVE only recently been able to obtain my copy of Mr. Wallace's “Island Life,” in which I find an estimate of the fauna and flora of the Keeling Atoll in the South Indian Ocean. I had the fortune to visit that outlying spot in the year 1879, and made a collection both of its plants and of its animal life. With the exception of my birds and a few of the insects, my collections were destroyed by sea water, so that it is now impossible for me to give a definite list, but I may note that rats were in such numbers as to have become almost a plague. A goodly herd of introduced Rusas, a cross between the Sumatran (C. equinus) and Javan (C. Hippelaphus) species, were in excellent condition, and were living wild on Direction Island, where also pigs were living in the same state. Among birds, the Gallus bangkiva (introduced) was in considerable numbers; I saw also the nest of the Ploceus hypoxanthus, which comes, not every year, but very often to breed there, but the progeny seems either to die or to return to Java (?). I did not see the snipe, but of the Rallus philippinus I got several specimens. Egrets, blue and white, abounded and rested on the high trees on some of the islands. Lizards of several species are now found on most of the islands in large numbers. Of insects the number of species is very considerable. Coleoptera were represented by Melolonthidæ, Cetoniidæ, Carabidæ, Elateridæ, Chrysomelidæ, but as I have not my journals of that date by me, I cannot recall other families nor state the number of genera represented. Of Hemiptera I caught a good many species, mostly of small size. Many species of ants were observed. Neuroptera are represented, unfortunately, by the termite, introduced some years ago in furniture, it is said, but it occurs now on every islet of the group in myriads. I am told that during the cyclone of a few years ago, the whole surface of the sea was covered with the mangled bodies of dragon-flies for miles out to sea, but that since then very few have been seen. Of Lepidoptera I caught many species both diurnal and nocturnal, some very handsome, of which I sent a small collection to London in 1879. The Atlas Moth is rather common. Orthoptera were represented by the ubiquitous cockroach, and a few Acridiidæ.