4 6 2 AVOYAGETO 



1780. are to be found here, except water-melons, a few potatoes, 



fmall gourds, chibboh (a fmall fpecics of onion), and little 



black, beans. At prefent, belides the buffaloes, of which 



we underftood there were feveral large herds, we purchased 



from the natives fome remarkably fine fat hogs, of the 



Chinefe breed. They brought us three or four of a wild 



fort ; and our fportfmen reported, that they frequently 



met with their tracks in the woods, which alfo abound with 



monkies and fquirrels, but fo fhy, that it was difficult to 



moot them. One fpecies of the fquirrel was of a beautiful 



mining black colour ; and another fpecies flriped brown 



and white. This is called the flying-fquirrel, from being 



provided with a thin membrane, refembling a bat's wing, 



extending on each fide the belly, from the neck to the 



thighs, which, on ftretching out their legs, fpreads, and 



enables them to fly from tree to tree, at a confiderable dif- 



tance. Lizzards were in great abundance; but I do not 



know that any of us faw the guano, and another animal 



defcribed by Dampier* as refembling the guano, only 



much larger. 



Amongft its vegetable improvements, I have already men- 

 tioned the fields of rice we paffed through ; and plantains, 

 various kinds of pomptons, cocoa-nuts, oranges, fhaddocks, 

 and pomegranates, were alfo met with; though, except the 

 plantains and fhaddocks, in no great abundance. 



It is probable, from what has been already faid, relative 

 to the Bifhop of Adran, that the French have introduced 

 thef'e improvements into the ifland, for the purpofe of mak- 

 ing it a more convenient refrefhing ftation for any of their 

 {hips that may be bound for Cambodia, or Cochin China. 



* Vid. Dampier, Vol. i. p. 392. 



Should 



