218 COOK'S SECOND VOYAGE FEB. 



will allow that they are found on the coasts of all these 

 southern lands ; but are they not also to be found in 

 all parts of the southern ocean ? There are, how- 

 ever, some oceanic or aquatic birds which point out 

 the vicinity of land ; especially shags, which seldom 

 go out of sight of it ; and gannets, boobies, and 

 men of war birds, I believe, seldom go very far out 

 to sea* 



As we were now no more than two degrees of lon- 

 gitude from our route to the south, when we left the 

 Cape of Good Hope, it was to no purpose to pro- 

 ceed any further to the east under this parallel, know- 

 ing that no land could be there. But an opportunity 

 now offering of clearing up some doubts of our hav- 

 ing seen land farther to the south, I steered S. E. to 

 get into the situation in which it was supposed to lie. 



We continued this course till four o'clock the next 

 morning, and then S. E. by E. and E. S. E. till eight 

 in the evening, at which time we were in the latitude 

 of 55° 25' S., longitude 23° 8$ E., both deduced 

 from observations made the same day ; for, in the 

 morning, the sky was clear at intervals, and afforded 

 an opportunity to observe several distances of the 

 sun and moon, which we had not been able to do for 

 some time past, having had a constant succession of 

 bad weather. 



Having now run over the place where the land was 

 supposed to lie, without seeing the least signs of any, 

 it was no longer to be doubted but that the ice-islands 

 had deceived us as well as Mr. Bouvet. The wind by 

 this time having veered to the north, and increased 

 to a perfect storm, attended as usual with snow and 

 sleet, we handed the top-sails, and hauled up E. N. E. 

 under the courses. During the night the wind abated, 

 and veered to N. W., which enabled us to steer more 

 to the north, having no business farther south. 



