^Q(') COOK'S VOYAGE TO FEB. 



bill. This we called the small wattle-bird, to dis- 

 tinguish it from another, which we called the large 

 one, of the size of a common pigeon, with two 

 large yellow and purple membranes also, at the 

 root of the bill. It is black, or ratber blue, and 

 has no resemblance of the other but in name; for 

 the bill is thick, short, and crooked, and has alto- 

 gether an uncommon appearance. A gross-beak, 

 about the size of a thrush, of a brown colour, 

 with a reddish tail, is frequent; as is also a small 

 greenish bird, which is almost the only musical one 

 here, but is sufficient bv itself to fill the woods with 

 a melody, that is not only sweet, but so varied, that 

 one would imagine he was surrounded by a hundred 

 different sorts of birds, when the little warbler is 

 near. From this circumstance we named it the 

 mocking-bird. There are likewise three or four sorts 

 of smaller birds; one of which, in figure and tame- 

 ness, exactly resembles our robin, but is black where 

 that is brown, and white where that is red. Another 

 differs but little from this, except in being smaller; 

 and a third sort has a long tail, which it expands as 

 a fan on coming near, and makes a chirping noise 

 when it perches. King-fishers are seen, though rare, 

 and are about the size of our English ones, but with 

 an inferior plumage. 



About the rocks are seen black sea-pies with red 

 bills; and crested shags of a leaden colour, with 

 small black spots on the wings and shoulders, and 

 the rest of the upper part of a velvet black tinged 

 with green. We frequently shot both these, and 

 also a more common sort of shags, black above and 

 white underneath, that build their nests upon trees, 

 on which sometimes a dozen or more sit at once. 

 There are also, about the shore, a few sea-gulls; 

 some blue herons; and sometimes, though very 

 rarely, wild ducks; a small sandy-coloured plover, 

 and some sand-larks ; and small penguins, black 

 above, with a white belly, as well as numbers of little 

 black divers, swim often about the Sound. We like- 



