1770. ROUND THE WORLD. T/ 



though it was more equally warm ; so that if this 

 country should be settled by people from Europe, 

 they would, with a little industry, be very soon sup- 

 plied not only with the necessaries, but the luxuries 

 of life in great abundance. 



In this country there are no quadrupeds but dogs 

 and rats, at least we saw no other, and the rats are 

 so scarce that many of us never saw them. The dogs 

 live with the people, who breed them for no other 

 purpose than to eat : there might indeed be quadru- 

 peds that we did not see; but this is not probable, 

 because the chief pride of the natives, with respect 

 to their dress, is in the skins and hair of such animals 

 as they have, and we never saw the skin of any 

 animal about them but those of dogs and birds: there 

 are indeed seals upon the coast, and we once saw a 

 sea lion, but we imagine they are seldom caught, for 

 though we saw some of their teeth, which were 

 fashioned into an ornament like a bodkin, and worn 

 by the natives at their breast, and highly valued, we 

 saw none of their skins : there are whales also upon 

 this coast, and though the people did not appear to 

 have any art or instrument by which such an animal 

 could be taken and killed, we saw pattoo-pattoos in 

 the possession of some of them, which were made of 

 the bone of a w r hale, or of some other animal whose 

 bone had exactly the same appearance. 



Of birds the species are not many; and of these 

 none, except perhaps the gannet, is the same with 

 those of Europe : here are ducks indeed, and shags 

 of several kinds, sufficiently resembling those of 

 Europe, to be called the same, by those who have 

 not examined them very nicely. Here are also 

 hawks, owls, and quails, which differ but little from 

 those of Europe at first sight ; and several small birds, 

 whose song, as has been remarked in the course of the 

 narrative, is much more melodious than any that we 

 had ever heard. 



The sea-coast is also visited by many oceanic birds, 



