174 COOK S VOYAGE TO JAN. 



driven upon the island, or left there, it is hard to say, 

 that he could be able to prolong existence. There is, 

 indeed, abundance of birds and fish ; but no visible 

 means of allaying thirst, nor any vegetable that could 

 supply the place of bread, or correct the bad effects of 

 an animal diet ; which in all probability would soon 

 prove fatal alone. On the few cocoa-trees upon the 

 island, the number of which did not exceed thirty, 

 very little fruit was found ; and, in general, what was 

 found, was either not fully grown, or had the juice 

 salt, or blackish. So that a ship touching here, must 

 expect nothing but fish and turtle ; and of these an 

 abundant supply may be depended upon. 



On some parts of the land were a few low trees. 

 Mr. Anderson gave me an account, also, of two small 

 shrubs, and of two or three small plants ; all which 

 we had seen on Palmerston's Island, and Otakootaia. 

 There was also a species of sida or Indian mallow; 

 a sort of purslain; and another small plant that seemed 

 from its leaves a mesembryanthemum ; with two species 

 of grass. But each of these vegetable productions was 

 in so small a quantity, and grew with so much languor, 

 that one is almost- surprised that the species do not 

 become extinct. 



Under the low trees above-mentioned, sat infinite 

 numbers of tern, or egg-bird. These are black above, 

 and white below, with a white arch on the forehead; 

 and are rather larger than the common noddy. Most 

 of them had lately hatched their young ; which 

 lay under the old ones, upon the bare ground. 

 The rest had eggs ; of which they only lay one, 

 larger than that of a pigeon, bluish and speckled 

 with black. There were also a good many common 

 boobies ; a sort that are almost like a gannet ; and a 

 sooty, or chocolate-coloured one, with a white belly. 

 To this list we must add men-of-war-birds ; tropic 

 birds ; curlews ; sand-pipers ; a small land-bird like a 

 hedge-sparrow ; land-crabs ; small lizards ; and rats. 



As we kept our Christmas here, I called this dis- 



