188 cook's SECOND VOYAGE JAN. 



on board not a few, as they are very good eating. 

 They take certain spots to themselves, and build their 

 nests near the edge of the cliffs on little hillocks, 

 which are either those of the sword-grass, or else 

 they are made by the shags building on them from 

 year to year. There is another sort rather smaller 

 than these, which breed on the cliffs of rocks. 



The geese are of the same sort we found in Christ- 

 mas Sound; we saw but few; and some had young 

 ones. Mr. Forster shot one which was different from 

 these, being larger, with a grey plumage, and black 

 feet. The others make a noise exactly like a duck. 

 Here were ducks, but not many ; and several of that 

 sort which we called race-horses. We shot some, 

 and found them to weigh twenty-nine or thirty 

 pounds ; those who ate of them said they were very 

 good. 



The oceanic birds were gulls, terns, Port Egmont 

 hens, and a Jarge brown bird of the size of an 

 albatross, which Pernety calls quebrantahuessas. 

 We called them Mother Gary's geese, and found 

 them pretty good eating. The land-birds were eagles, 

 or hawks, bald-headed vultures, or what our seamen 

 called turkey buzzards, thrushes, and a few other 

 small birds. 



Our naturalists found two new species of birds. 

 The one is about the size of a pigeon, the plumage 

 as white as milk. They feed along shore, probably 

 on shell-fish and carrion ; for they have a very disa- 

 greeable smell. When we first saw these birds, we 

 thought they were the snow-peterel, but the moment 

 they were in our possession, the mistake was disco- 

 vered ; for they resemble them in nothing but size 

 and colour. These are not web-fboted. The other 

 sort is a species of curlews nearly as big as a heron. 

 It has a variegated plumage, the principal colours 

 whereof are light grey, and a long crooked bill. 



I had almost forgot to mention that there are sea- 

 pies, or what we called, when in New Zealand, cur- 



