OF LA PEROUSE. I49 



On a little hillock which projects towards the 

 fea, I procured the pretty fpecies oibcuikfia which 

 Gaertner defignatcs under the name of bankfia 

 gibbofa. 



We were proceeding acrofs the foreft not far 

 from the fea, when one of our party faw a young 

 native, who fled terrified at a fhot fired at a bird. 

 Having foon been apprifed of this meeting, each 

 of us ran to the fpot, with an intention of en- 

 joying an interview with the inhabitants of this 

 country ; but our refearches were to no purpofe ; 

 the young favage had difappeared, darting pre- 

 cipitately into the clofeft thickets, at the rifk of 

 tearing his fkin, for he wore no clothes. We 

 found at the place from which he had run away, 

 a fhed to keep off the fea breeze. Hard by a 

 fpring, whence iffued very clear water, I found 

 fome vertebra, the body of which was feven cen- 

 timeters thick, and a pretty large os frontis, 

 which I judged to have belonged to fome amphi- 

 bious animal. 



The hope of meetmg with the favages made 

 us determine to continue to advance into the 

 woods, and there pafs the night. We walked for 

 an hour towards the fouth-eafr, opening to our- 

 felves a difficult road, till we arrived at a large 

 plain, which extends to the fea-fhore. Here 

 grew a fine fpecies of mimofa, with long fingle 

 leaves of an oval form, the nerves of which are 

 l 3 s falient 



