JULY 1770 FRIENDLY NATIVES KANGOOROO KILLED 287 



11th. The Indians came over again to-day; two that 

 were with us yesterday, and two new ones, whom our old 

 acquaintance introduced to us by their names, one of which 

 was Yaparico. Though we did not yesterday observe it, 

 they all had the septum or inner part of the nose bored 

 through with a very large hole, in which one of them had 

 stuck the bone of a bird as thick as a man's finger, and four 

 or six inches long, an ornament no doubt, though to us it 

 appeared rather an uncouth one. They brought with them 

 a fish which they gave to us, in return I suppose for the 

 fish we had given them yesterday. Their stay was but 

 short, for some of our gentlemen being rather too curious in 

 examining their canoe, they went directly to it, and pushing 

 it off, went away without saying a word. 



12th. The Indians came again to-day and ventured down 

 to Tupia's tent, where they were so pleased with their 

 reception that three stayed, while the fourth went with the 

 canoe to fetch two others. They introduced their strangers 

 (which they always made a point of doing) by name, and 

 had some fish given them ; they received it with indifference, 

 signed to our people to cook it for them, which was done, 

 ate part and gave the rest to my dog. They stayed 

 the best part of the morning, but never ventured to 

 go above twenty yards from their canoe. The ribbons 

 by which we had tied medals round their necks on the first 

 day we saw them, were covered with smoke ; I suppose 

 they lay much in the smoke to keep off the mosquitos. 



14tth. Our second lieutenant had the good fortune to kill 

 the animal that had so long been the subject of our specula- 

 tions. To compare it to any European animal would be 

 impossible, as it has not the least resemblance to any one I 

 have seen. Its fore-legs are extremely short, and of no use 

 to it in walking ; its hind again as disproportionally long ; 

 with these it hops seven or eight feet at a time, in the same 

 manner as the jerboa, to which animal indeed it bears much 

 resemblance, except in size, this being in weight 38 Ibs., and 

 the jerboa no larger than a common rat. 



15th. The beast which was killed yesterday was to-day 



