74 THE NATIVE MIAGO. 



Several very large black martins, with white or 

 grey heads, were hovering over the ship this morn- 

 ing ; and many flights of small white tern, and a 

 bird, commonly called the razor-bill, passed and re- 

 passed the ship every morning and evening, flying 

 from the bay to seaward, and returning at sunset. 

 Two water snakes were shot alongside the ship 

 during the day ; the largest measured four feet, 

 and was of a dirty yellow colour. A good sized fish 

 was taken from the stomach of one of them. Their 

 fangs were particularly long, and very much flat- 

 tened, having no cutting edge whatever. 



Some turtle also passed the ship to-day, and a 

 day or two afterwards we were fortunate enough to 

 shoot one which weighed 160 pounds : he had 

 ample justice done to his merits. It was high 

 water at 1.50 p.m., and the stream changed at the 

 same time, a circumstance conclusively demon- 

 stratinof that we were not anchored in a strait. 



January 18. — We got under weigh in the morn- 

 ing, but from the shallowness of the water anchored 

 within a mile east of our former position. 



The native Miago, who had accompanied us from 

 Swan River, was most earnest in his inquiries 

 about the savages, as soon as he understood that 

 some of them had been seen. He appeared de- 

 lighted that these "black fellows," as he calls them, 

 have no throwing sticks ; for though at times 

 exceedingly valiant in conversation, and very 

 anxious to kill one of the men, and carry ofl" one of 



