A Littorina and a Nerita occur abundantly on the trunks and stems of the mangroves, and the creek swarmed with stingrays (Trygon) and numbers of a dull green swimming crab.
BUSH FIRE.
During our stay, the bush was thoughtlessly set on fire by some of our people, and continued burning for several days, until nearly the whole island had been passed over; the long dry grass and dead trees blazing very fiercely under the influence of a high wind.

At night the sight of the burning scrub was very fine when viewed from a distance, but I did not forget that I had one day been much closer to it than was pleasant--in fact, it was only by first soaking my clothes in a pool among the rocks, emptying the contents of my powder-flask to prevent the risk of being blown up, and then making a desperate rush through a belt of burning scrub, that I succeeded in reaching a place of safety.
Singularly enough, the Asp's dinghy was picked up uninjured on one of the sandy beaches of this island, and on December 7th we left the anchorage with a strong south-easterly wind, and anchored for the night under one of Sir James Smith's group.

On the following day we ran through part of Whitsunday Passage, so named by Cook, and anchored in Port Molle, in seven and a half fathoms, a quarter of a mile off shore.

The best anchorage here appears to be in the second bay as you round the end of the island, forming the south-east side of the harbour; it may be known by a sandy beach at the head.
During our stay of two days, search was made for water in every likely spot, but none could be found.

In the dried up beds of three shallow lagoons (one of which I had seen half filled four years before) we found native wells, one dug to the depth of six feet, but the water had disappeared.
PORT MOLLE.
Port Molle, besides being a well sheltered harbour from all prevailing winds, has a much more pleasing aspect than almost any place I have seen on the north-east coast of Australia.