T H E P A C I F I C O C E A N. 109 



The only animal of the quadruped kind we got, was a '777- 

 £on oi opojfmn, about twice the fize of a large rat; and is, 

 mofl probably, the male of that /pedes found at Endea- 

 vour River, as mentioned in Hawkefworth's Colledlion of 

 Voyages * It is of a dullcy colour above, tinged with a 

 brown or rufly caft, and whitifli below. About a third of 

 the tail, towards its tip, is white, and bare underneath ; by 

 which it probably hangs on the branches of trees, as it 

 climbs tlicre, and lives on berries. Mr. Webber's drawins" 

 will give a better idea of it than any defcription. The kan- 

 goorco, another animal found farther Northward in New 

 Holland, as defcribed in the fame Voyage -f-, without all 

 doubt alfo inhabits here, as the natives we met with had 

 fome pieces of their fl^ins ; and we feveral times faw ani- 

 mals, though indi(lin6lly, run from the thickets when we 

 walked in the woods, which, from the fize, could be no 

 other. It fliould feem alfo, that they are in confiderable 

 numbers, from the dung we faw almoft every where, and 

 from the narrow tracks or paths they have made amongi^ 

 the flirubbery. 



There are feveral forts of birds, but all fo fcarce and fliy, 

 that they are evidently harafied by the natives, who, per- 

 haps, draw much of their fubfiftence from them. In the 

 woods, the principal forts are large brown hawks or eagles ; 

 crows, nearly the fame as ours in England ; yellowifli pa- 

 roquets ; and large pigeons. There are alfo three or four. 

 fmall birds, one of which is of the thrufh kind; and ano- 

 ther fmall one, with a pretty long tail, has part of the head 

 and neck of a moll beautiful azure colour; from whence we 

 named it motacilla cjauea. On the fliore were feveral com- 



*-Vol. iii. p. 586. t Ibid. p. 577. 



men. 



