1770 QUADRUPEDS, BIRDS, ETC. 225 



as in other countries companions of the men, and the latter 

 probably brought hither by the men ; especially as they are 

 so scarce, that I myself have not had opportunity of seeing 

 even one. Of seals, indeed, we have seen a few, and one 

 sea-lion ; but these were in the sea, and are certainly very 

 scarce, as there were no signs of them among the natives, 

 except a few teeth of the latter, which they make into a 

 kind of bodkin and value much. It appears not improbable 

 that there really are no other species of quadrupeds in the 

 country, for the natives, whose chief luxury in dress con- 

 sists in the skins and hair of dogs and the skins of divers 

 birds, and who wear for ornaments the bones and beaks of 

 birds and teeth of dogs, would probably have made use of 

 some part of any other animal they were acquainted with, 

 a circumstance which, though carefully sought after, we 

 never saw the least signs of. 



Of birds there are not many species, and none, except 

 perhaps the gannet, are the same as those of Europe. There 

 are ducks and shags of several kinds, sufficiently like the 

 European ones to be called the same by the seamen, both 

 which we eat and accounted good food, especially the former, 

 which are not at all inferior to those of Europe. 



Besides these there are hawks, owls, and quails, differing 

 but little at first sight from those of Europe, and several 

 small birds that sing much more melodiously than any I 

 have heard. The sea coast is also frequently visited by 

 many oceanic birds, as albatrosses, shearwaters, pintados, etc., 

 and has also a few of the birds called by Sir John 

 Narbrough penguins, which are truly what the French call 

 a nuance between birds and fishes, as their feathers, especially 

 on their wings, differ but little from scales ; and their wings 

 themselves, which they use only in diving, by no means 

 attempting to fly or even accelerate their motion on the 

 surface of the water (as young birds are observed to do), 

 might thence almost as properly be called fins. 



Neither are insects in greater plenty than birds ; a few 

 butterflies and beetles, flesh-flies very like those in Europe, 

 mosquitos and sand-flies, perhaps exactly the same as those 



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