1776. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. l67 



and boggy places, which were eaten as sallad ; the 

 one almost like garden cresses, and very fiery; and 

 the other very mild. This last, though but small, is 

 in itself a curiosity; having not only male and female, 

 but what the botanists call androgynous plants. 



" A coarse grass, which we cut down for the cattle, 

 grows pretty plentifully in a few small spots about the 

 sides of the harbour, with a smaller sort which is 

 rarer; and, upon the flat ground, a sort of goose- 

 grass, and another small plant much like it. In short, 

 the whole catalogue of plants does not exceed sixteen 

 or eighteen, including some sorts of moss, and a 

 beautiful species of lichen, which grows upon the 

 rocks, higher up than the rest of the vegetable pro- 

 ductions. Nor is there even the least appearance of 

 a shrub in the whole country. 



" Nature has rather been more bountiful in furnish- 

 ing it with animals; though, strictly speaking, they are 

 not inhabitants of the place, being all of the marine 

 kind ; and, in general, only using the land for breed- 

 ing, and for a resting-place. The most considerable 

 are seals, or (as we used to call them) sea-bears; being 

 that sort called the ursine seal. These come ashore 

 to rest or breed; but they were not very numerous, 

 which is not to be wondered at, as it is known that 

 these animals rather frequent out-rocks, and little 

 islands lying off coasts, than bays or inlets. They 

 were, at this time, shedding their hair, and so tame, 

 that we killed what number we chose. 



<c No other quadruped, either of the sea or of the 

 land kind, was seen ; but a great number of birds, 

 viz. ducks, petrels, albatrosses, shags, gulls, and sea- 

 swallows. 



"The ducks are about the size of a teal or widgeon - t 

 but somewhat different in colour from either. They 

 were in tolerable plenty about the sides of the hills, 

 or even lower; and we killed a considerable number, 

 which were good, and without the least fishy taste. 



m 4 



