500 HISTORY OF 



The .feathered tribes were similar to tl. 

 of Port Dairy m pie. The flocks of black swans 

 even exceeded those they had before met with. 



The most formidable among the reptiles was 

 the black snake with venemous fangs, and so 

 much in colour resembling a burnt stick, that a 

 close inspection could only detect the difference. 



Mr. Bass once, with his eyes cautiously di-* 

 rected towards the ground, stepped over one 

 which was lying asleep among some black sticks, 

 aud would have passed on without observing it, 

 had not its rustling and loud hiss attracted his 

 attention. 



He resolved to take it alive, and try the ef- 

 fect of its bite on a hawk at that time in the 

 sloop. In the contest, he turned round and bit 

 himself severely ; in a few minutes after which he 

 was overcome. His exertions, however, were still 

 vigorous, and Mr. Bass expected, as he began 

 to recover himself, they would increase; but in 

 less than ten minutes he died. Having never! 

 before known a snake of this size to be killed by; 

 a few very slight blows with a stick so rotten as 

 scarcely to bear the weight of its own blow, he 

 was at a loss to conceive how death so sudden 

 succeeded so much vigour in an animal so 

 tenacious pf life, When, three hours afterwards*; 

 the skin was stripped off, the flesh for some disl 

 tance round the marks of his teeth, was found 

 inflamed and discoloured; thus this reptile pro v-» 

 ed a suicide. 



Every particular relative to the Derwent river 

 being stated, and all the iufgrmation of Van 



