WCP2155

[1]¹

Trinity College Dublin

25 Oct 1879

My dear Wallace

I delayed a post to answer you, for I could not lay any hand on the Slip with the names of the two or three Seychelles Snakes. Nor can I yet. But a note to Gunther² or O'Shaughnessy of the B.M. would give you their names at once — in the quiet parts of the Islands they were common enough & captured more for my chickens than the people liked. I hope the following answers are not too short.

Amphibia — Coecilia eostrata. C.oxyura. Rana mascar[eni]ensis D[uméril] & B[ibron]. and Megalixalus infrarufus <Gth> [Gunther] the latter found on Screw Pines. It is a long green & yellow tree frog.

Snakes —

Lyandi[?] — Chamolio tigris. on Bamboo. [2]

Euprepsis seychellensis, ? = E. cyanogaster

Platydactylus cepedianus

" [Platydactylus] seychellensis

Hemidactylus peronii = I always could tell the Island & rock the specimens of the first came from. They differed in size & color. But still they were all one species according to Gunther —

Land Shells,

See Nevilles[?] Paper. Proc Zool. Soc 1868 p257— 1869.p61. and Martins in Bd3. [illeg.] 1. of Decken's Reisen in Ost Afrika — the most noteworthy species was Achatina Fulica.

From Malagasy.

Except the references in the Preface to Bakers Flora Mauritius — I do not know of any. Of course Oliver at Kew could tell at once.

Uprising— I never saw a trace of any such phenomenon — now & then [3] a Crocodile bone is dug up from a former swampy spot — but there are no [illeg.] — everything seems to point to depression.

There is a short mem[oire] Sur les Archipels des Comores et des Seychelles par M^r H. Jouan in Mem. de la Soc du Sc Nat de Cherbourg³ Tom XIV pp45 to 123 that might repay a perusal.

I have not yet got a copy myself of Animal Life. but shall[?] especially ask that one may be sent to you. — I hope the close may be of some use. but do not hesitate to send one queries —

Very Sincere[ly] Yours | E. Percival Wright [signature]