146 cook's FIRST VOYAGE JUNE? 



we did not think them an object for the ship. In 

 their walk they found one tree which had been 

 notched for the convenience of climbing it, in the 

 same manner with those we had seen in Botany Bay : 

 they saw also many nests of white ants, which resem- 

 ble those of the East Indies, the most pernicious in- 

 sects in the world. The nests were of a pyramidical 

 figure, from a few inches to six feet high, and very 

 much resembled the stones in England, which are 

 said to be monuments of the Druids. Mr. Gore, who 

 was also this day four or five miles up the country, 

 reported that he had seen the footsteps of men, and 

 tracked animals of three or four different sorts, but 

 had not been fortunate enough to see either man 

 or beast. 



At two o'clock in the morning of the 29th, I ob- 

 served, in conjunction with Mr. Green, an emersion 

 of Jupiter's first satellite ; the time here was 2 h 18' 

 53", which gave the longitude of this place 214 42' 

 30" W. : its latitude is 15 26' S. At break of day, 

 I sent the boat out again with the seine, and, in the 

 afternoon, it returned with as much fish as enabled 

 me to give every man a pound and an half. One of 

 my midshipmen, an American, who was this day 

 abroad with his gun, reported that he had seen a 

 wolf, exactly like those which he had been used to 

 see in his own country, and that he had shot at it, but 

 did not kill it. 



The next morning, encouraged by the success of 

 the day before, 1 sent the boat again to haul the 

 seine, and another party to gather greens : I sent 

 also some of the young gentlemen to take a plan of 

 the harbour, and went myself upon a hill, which lies 

 over the south point, to take a view of the sea. At 

 this time it was low water, and I saw with great con- 

 cern, innumerable sand banks and shoals lying all 

 along the coast in every direction. The innermost 

 lay about three or four miles from the shore, the 

 outermost extended as far as I could see with my 



