102 COOK'S SECOND VOYAGE APRIL, 



where I left them. I chose this place for two rea- 

 sons ; first, here are no inhabitants to disturb them ; 

 and secondly, here being the most food. I make no 

 doubt but that they will breed, and may in time 

 spread over the whole country, and fully answer my 

 intention in leaving them. We spent the day shoot- 

 ing in and about the Cove, and returned aboard 

 about ten o'clock in the evening. One of the party 

 shot a white hern, which agreed exactly with Mr. 

 Pennant's description, in his British Zoology, of the 

 white herns that either now are, or were formerly, in 

 England. 



The 25th was the eighth fair day we had had suc- 

 cessively ; a circumstance, I believe, very uncommon 

 in this place, especially at this season of the year. 

 This fair weather gave us an opportunity to complete 

 our wood and water, to overhaul the rigging, calk 

 the ship, and put her in a condition for sea. Pair 

 weather was, however, now at an end ; for it began 

 to rain this evening, and continued, without inter- 

 mission, till noon the next day, when we cast off the 

 shore fasts, hove the ship out of the creek to her 

 anchor, and steadied her with an hawser to the 

 shore. 



On the 27th, hazy weather, with showers of rain. 

 In the morning 1 set out, accompanied by Mr. 

 Pickersgill and the two Mr. Forsters, to explore the 

 arm or inlet I discovered the day I returned from 

 the head of the bay. After rowing about two leagues 

 up it, or rather down, I found it to communicate 

 with the sea, and to afford a better outlet for ships 

 bound to the north, than the one I came in by. After 

 making this discovery, and refreshing ourselves on 

 broiled fish and wild fowl, we set out for the ship, 

 and got on board at eleven o'clock at night ; leaving 

 two arms we had discovered, and which run in the 

 east, unexplored. In this expedition we shot forty- 

 four birds, sea-pies, ducks, &c, without going one 



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