170 cook's voyage to dec. 



swallow, tern, and Port-Egmont lien; the last of 

 which were tame and numerous. 



" Another sort of white bird, flocks of which flew 

 about the bay, is very singular; having the base of 

 the bill covered with a horny crust.* It is larger 

 than a pigeon, with the bill black and the feet white, 

 made like those of a curlew. Some of our people put 

 it in competition w 7 ith the duck as food. 



"The seine was hauled once; but we found only a 

 few fish about the size of a small haddock ; though 

 quite different from any we knew. The snout is 

 lengthened ; the head armed with some strong 

 spines ; the rays of the back-fin long, and very 

 strong ; the belly is large ; and the body without 

 scales. The only shell fish are a few limpets and 

 muscles ; and, amongst the stones, a few small star- 

 fish, and sea-anemonies, were found. 



" The hills are of a moderate height ; yet many of 

 their tops were covered with snow at this time, though 

 answering to our June. Some of them have large 

 quantities of stones, irregularly heaped together at 

 their foot, or on their sides. The sides of others, 

 which form steep cliffs towards the sea, are rent from 

 the top downward, and seem ready to fall off, having 

 stones of a considerable size lying in the fissures. 

 Some were of opinion that frost might be the cause 

 of these fissures, which I shall not dispute ; but how 

 others of the appearances could be effected, but by 

 earthquakes, or some such severe shocks, I cannot 

 say. 



" It appears that rain must be almost constant here, 

 not only from the marks of large torrents having 

 rushed down, but from the disposition of the coun- 

 try, which, even on the hills, is almost an entire bog 

 or swamp, the ground sinking at every step. 



" The rocks, or foundations of the hills, are com- 

 posed chiefly of a dark blue, and very hard stone, 



* The sheath-bill. See Pennant's Genera of Birds, p. 43. 



