OF LA PEROUSE. 305 



I faw in the middle of the woods a great 

 many wild cocks. The female which the na- 

 tives brought us was not much bigger than a 

 partridge, and yet flie laid eggs twice as large as 

 thofe of our hens. This fpecies of wild hen is 

 black, while that which I killed in the forefls 

 of Java was of a grey colour. 



The great crowned pigeon {columha coronata) 

 is very common in thefe thick forefts, where we 

 met here and there fome wild orange-trees, the 

 fruits of which furniflied our fcorbutic people 

 with very wholefome lemonade. 



The natives who came on board informed us, 

 that the road in which we had caft anchor was 

 infefled by alligators; yet this did not prevent 

 feveral of our people from bathing: h?vVJnp; 

 penetrated into fome forefls of mangroves, v,(i 

 remarked their tracks imprinted on the mud. 

 It is principally during the night that the alli- 

 gators are moft to be dreaded. 



While we lay here we received a vifit from 

 feveral chiefs. The chief of Rawak had fupped 

 and fiept on board the Efperance the eve of our 

 departure; but as foon as he faw that we were 

 preparing to weigh anchor, he jumped over- 

 board, icaring that w^e wiflied to carry him 

 away. This fright would have aftoniflied us, 

 had wc not learned that, five months before, the 



^or, [!, V Dutch, 



