3 i2 SOME ACCOUNT OF NEW HOLLAND CH. xm 



feet long, besides which it is tied to a loose line of three or 

 four fathoms. The use of this is undoubtedly to enable the 

 staff to serve as a float to show where the turtle is when 

 struck, as well as to assist in tiring it till they can with 

 their canoes overtake and haul it in. That they throw this 

 dart with great force we had occasion to observe while we 

 lay in Endeavour's river, where a turtle which we killed had 

 one of these pegs entirely buried in his body just across its 

 breast ; it seemed to have entered at the soft place where 

 the fore-fin works, but not the least outward mark of the 

 wound remained. 



We saw near their fire-places plentiful remains of lobsters, 

 shell-fish of all kinds, and to the southward the skins of 

 those sea animals which, from their property of spouting out 

 water when touched, are commonly called sea - squirts. 

 These last, however disgustful they may seem to an European 

 palate, we found to contain, under a coat as tough as leather, 

 a substance like the guts of a shell-fish, of a taste, though 

 not equal to an oyster, yet by no means to be despised by 

 a hungry man. 



Of land animals they probably eat every kind that they 

 can kill, which probably does not amount to any large 

 number, every species being here shy and cautious in a high 

 degree. The only vegetables which we saw them use were 

 yams of two sorts, the one long and like a finger, the other 

 round and covered with stringy roots ; both sorts very 

 small but sweet. They were so scarce where we were that 

 we never could find the plants that produced them, though 

 we often saw the places where they had been dug up by 

 the Indians very recently. It is very probable that the dry 

 season, which was at its height when we were there, had 

 destroyed the leaves of the plants, so that we had no guide, 

 while the Indians, knowing well the stalks, might find them 

 easily. Whether they knew or ever made use of the cocos, 

 I cannot tell ; the immense sharpness of every part of this 

 vegetable before it is dressed makes it probable that any 

 people who have not learned the uses of it from others may 

 remain for ever ignorant of them. Near their fires were 



