1778- the pacific OCEAN. 273 



The birds which frequent the waters and the 

 shores, are not more numerous than the others. The 

 quebrantahuessos, gulls, and shags, were seen off the 

 coast, and the last two also frequent the sound ; 

 they are of the common sorts, the shags being our 

 cormorant or water-crow. We saw two sorts of wild 

 ducks, one black with a white head, which were in 

 considerable flocks, the other white with a red bill, 

 but of a larger size ; and the greater lumme or diver, 

 found in our northern countries. There were also seen 

 once or twice some swans flying across the sound to 

 the northward ; but we knew nothing of their haunts. 

 On the shores, besides the sand-piper described 

 above, we found another about the size of a lark, 

 which bears a great affinity to the burre, and a plover 

 differing very little from our common sea-lark. 



Fish are more plentiful in quantity than birds, 

 though the variety is not very great ; and yet, from 

 several circumstances, it is probable that even the 

 variety is considerably increased at certain seasons. 

 The principal sorts, which we found in great num- 

 bers, are the common herring, but scarcely exceed- 

 ing seven inches in length, a smaller sort, which is 

 the same with the anchovy or sardine, though rather 

 larger ; a white or silver coloured bream, and 

 another of a gold-brown colour, with many narrow 

 longitudinal blue stripes. The herrings and sardines, 

 doubtless, come in large shoals and only at stated 

 seasons, as is common with that sort of fish. The 

 bream of both sorts may be reckoned the next to 

 these in quantity, and the full grown ones weighed 

 at least a pound. The other fish, which are all 

 scarce, are a small brown kind of sculpi?i, such as is 

 found on the coast of Norway, another of a brownish 

 red cast ; frost- fish, a large one, somewhat resem- 

 bling the bull-head, with a tough skin, destitute of 

 scales ; and now and then, toward the time of our 

 leaving the sound, the natives brought a small 

 brownish cod spotted with white, and a red fish of 



VOL. VI. t 



