The Percy Sladen Expedition in H.M.S. “Sealark” to the Indian Ocean. the Seychelles Archipelago¹

Abstract

AFTER leaving the Sealark and dispatching our collections home, Mr. Forster Cooper and I spent seven weeks in exploring the Seychelles Archipelago as thoroughly as possible, dividing our time between Praslin and Mahé as centres. We camped for eighteen days on the former island, and then separated, Mr. Cooper being responsible for Silhouette Island, the fauna of which appeared to be almost unknown, while I visited various parts of Mahé and examined its reefs and neighbouring islets. Unfortunately the weather had been exceedingly dry, and continued to be so during the first half of our stay, while it was correspondingly wet during the second half. As a result, land collecting was at all times extremely laborious, and insects were throughout found to be scarce, both in species and number. Other groups of land animals we believe to have been fairly thoroughly collected.