34,8 cook's voyage to may, 



was also found ; but was suspected to be one of those 

 which change their colour with the season, and with 

 their migrations. At this time, it was of a dusky 

 brown colour, with a reddish tail ; and the supposed 

 male had a large yellow spot on the crown of the 

 head, with some varied black on the upper part of 

 the neck ; but the last was on the breast of the fe- 

 male. 



The only fish we got, were some torsk and halibut, 

 which were chiefly brought by the natives to sell ; 

 and we caught a few sculpins about the ship ; with 

 some purplish star-fish, that had seventeen or eigh- 

 teen rays. The rocks were observed to be almost 

 destitute of shell-fish ; and the only other animal of 

 this tribe seen, was a red crab, covered with spines 

 of a very large size. 



The metals we saw were copper and iron ; both 

 which, particularly the latter, were in such plenty, as 

 to constitute the points of most of the arrows and 

 lances. The ores, with which they painted them- 

 selves, were a red, brittle, unctuous ochre, or iron ore, 

 not much unlike cinnabar in colour ; a bright blue 

 pigment, which we did not procure ; and black lead. 

 Each of these seems to be very scarce, as they brought 

 very small quantities of the first and last, and seemed 

 to keep them with great care. 



Few vegetables of any kind were seen ; and the 

 trees which chiefly grew here, were the Canadian 

 and spruce pine, and some of them tolerably large. 



The beads and iron found amongst these people, 

 left no room to doubt, that they must have received 

 them from some civilized nation. We were pretty 

 certain, from circumstances already mentioned, that 

 we were the first Europeans with whom they had 

 ever communicated directly ; and it remains only to 

 be decided, from what quarter they had got our ma- 

 nufactures, by intermediate conveyance. And there 

 cannot be the least doubt of their having received 

 these articles through the intervention oi the more 



o 



