Vol. IV. 

 1904 



'■ 1 Forgotten Feat keys. 



otf the west coast of Australia. On the previous day the first 

 mate of the Nijptang and other members of the ship's company 

 (the writer of the journal being present) had been ashore. " No 

 human beings," says the " Journal," " were to be seen, so that 

 it was evident that no good could be done here." And the writer 

 makes the further observations : — " As for the country, it is 

 sandy, and, in part in which we were, it is covered with trees, 

 amongst which some were from three to four fathoms in diameter 

 at least, but they bear no fruit ; in short, it abounds in thistles 

 and thorns. Several of the trees yielded a kind of resin, almost 

 like gumlac, of a brownish-red colour. Everything was shy, 

 human beings and also birds, such as Swans, Gannets, Pelicans, 

 Cockatoos, Parrakeets, &c. The best of the place is that there 

 are no vermin (ongedierte) to be seen, but in the daytime one 

 is sorely tormented by flies (vliegen)." * On the i 5 th day of the 

 same month our author again records the ship's position — 

 30° 17' S. — and again goes ashore with two boatloads of men 

 and officers. " We went," he says, " about six (statute) miles 

 inland, but found no men and no fresh water, only a few human 

 footprints and some resembling those of a dog and a Cassowary. "I 



On the 30th day of January the ships anchored near South 

 Passage, leading into Denham Sound, and on the ist of the 

 following month two of the captains went ashore. In the entry 

 for the 2nd of February we read: — "The two captains (for De 

 Vlaming also had gone ashore) returned on board late in the 

 evening ; they had proceeded inland for a distance of from 24 

 to 28 (statute) miles. Our captain brought with him the head 

 of a large bird ; they said that they had seen two nests built 

 of branches and three fathoms at least in circumference." 



On the 4th of February, 1697, at about 4 o'clock in the 

 afternoon, the ships anchored at Dirk Hartog's anchorage, at 

 the north end of Dirk Hartog Island. In the entry for the day in 

 the log-book of the Gcclvntk, De Vlaming remarks : — " The country 

 here is everywhere dry and sandy and treeless, and one can 

 catch or turn over at night as many turtles as one desires to 

 have, and also procure as many turtles' eggs as one requires.";]: 

 And the author of the N ijptang " Journal " says : — " On the 6th 

 (February) there was still much wind. We made but little 

 progress during the day, and returned to the land at night. 

 We saw many turtles and an exceedingly large nest on the top 

 of a great rock, made after the fashion of an ' oyevaar's nest.'§ 

 I have not been able to trace the word " oyevaar " and can onl}- 

 conjecture that it may be a misprint and that " byenaar " may 

 be the word which was used by the writer as a .synonym of 

 "bijenvalk." (Honey-Buzzard). — James R. M'Clvmont. Sandy 

 Bay, Hobart, 3/5/04. 



* "Journal," p. 16. + "Journal," p. 18. 



J Extracts from De Vlaming's "Journal" are given by Mr. 1*. A. Lcupe in 

 " De Reizen der Nederlanders naar ket Zuidland," pp. 153-184. 

 § "Journal," p. 21. 



