L90 cook's VOYAGE TO JAN. 



band on its side, called atherina hepsetus by Hassel- 

 quist. * 



" But that next in number, and superior in good- 

 ness, to the elephant fish, was a sort none of us re- 

 collected to have seen before. It partakes of the 

 nature both of a round and of a flat fish, having the 

 eyes placed very near each other; the fore-part of 

 the body much flattened or depressed, and the rest 

 rounded. It is of a brownish sandy colour, with 

 rusty spots on the upper part* and whitish below. 

 From the quantity of slime it was always covered 

 with, it seems to live after the manner of flat fish, at 

 the bottom. 



" Upon the rocks are plenty of muscles, and some 

 other small shell-fish. There are also great numbers 

 of sea-stars; some small limpets; and large quantities 

 of sponge; one sort of which, that is thrown on shore 

 by the sea, but not very common, has a most delicate 

 texture; and another, is the spongia dichotoma. 



" Many pretty Medusa 9 s heads were found upon the 

 beach; and the stinking laplysia, or sea-hare, which, 

 as mentioned by some authors, has the property of 

 taking off the hair by the acrimony of its juice; but 

 this sort was deficient in this respect. 



" Insects, though not numerous, are here in consider- 

 able variety. Amongst them are grashoppers, but- 

 terflies, and several sorts of small moths, finely 

 variegated. There are two sorts of dragon-flies, 

 gad-flies, camel-flies; several sorts of spiders; 

 and some scorpions; but the last are rather rare. 

 The most troublesome, though not very numerous 

 tribe of insects, are the musquitoes; and a large 

 black ant, the pain of whose bite is almost intole- 

 rable, during the short time it lasts. The mus- 

 quitoes, also, make up the deficiency of their number, 

 by the severity of their venemous proboscis. 



" The inhabitants whom we met with here, had little 

 of that fierce or wild appearance common to people 



* Iter Palcestinum. 



