2i6 A V Y A G E T O 



»777- tables. Notwithflanding this poor foil, it is covered with 

 trees and bufhes of the fame kind as at Wenooa-ette, though 

 with lefs variety; and amongft thefe are forae cocoa palms. 

 Upon the trees or bullies that front the fea, or even farther 

 in, we found a great number of men of war birds. Tropic 

 birds, and two forts of boobies, which, at this time, were 

 laying their eggs, and fo tame, that they fufTered us to take 

 them off with our hands. Their nefts were only a few 

 flicks loofely put together ; and the Tropic birds laid their 

 eggs on the ground, under the trees. Thefe differ much from 

 the common forr, being entirely of a moll fplendid white, 

 nightly tinged with red, and having the two long tail-fea- 

 thers of a deep crimfon or blood colour. Of each fort, our 

 people killed a confiderable number ; and, though not the 

 mod delicate food, they were acceptable enough to us who 

 had been long confined to a fait diet, and who, confe- 

 quently, could not but be glad of the moll indilTerent va- 

 riety. We met with vaft numbers of red crabs, creeping 

 about, every where amongft the trees ; and v/e cauglu feve- 

 ral fifli that had been left in holes upon the reef, when the 

 fea retired. 



At one part of the reef, which looks into, or bounds, the 

 lake that is within, there was a large bed of coral, almoft 

 even with the furface, which afforded, perhaps, one of the 

 moft enchanting profpe6ls, that Nature has, any where, 

 produced. Its bafe was fixed to the fliore, but reached fo 

 far in, that it could not be feen ; fo that it feemed to be fu- 

 fpended in the water, which deepened fo fuddenly, that, ar 

 the diftance of a fev\^ yards, there might be feven or eight 

 fathoms. The fea was, at this time, quite unruiHed ; and 

 the fun, fliining bright, expofed the various forts of coral, 

 in the moft beautiful order ; fome parts branching into the 



water 



