76 CAPTAIN COOK 



weighing seventeen and a half pounds. This 

 bird, which was very good eating, furnished the 

 Englishmen with an excellent meal, in honour of 

 which the bay was called Bustard Bay. On the 

 mud banks lay a quantity of all kinds of oysters, 

 among which were found a number of pearl 

 oysters. 



Four days after his arrival at Bustard Bay 

 Cook weighed anchor and proceeded, making 

 minute observations of the coast and charting it. 

 He landed on May 29th and 30th, in order to 

 find drinking water. Failing in this, he gave the 

 name of Thirsty Sound to the gulf in which the 

 vessel lay. In this region the travellers found a 

 new species of black ant, and also myriads of 

 butterflies, with which the air was so full that 

 ". . . millions were to be seen in every direction 

 at the same time that every branch and twig was 

 covered with others that were not upon the 

 wing." 



Until June loth the Endeavour sailed unevent- 

 fully along the coast and among an archipelago 

 of little islands, when, after having passed Trin- 

 ity Bay, a terrible accident took place, which 

 might well have proved fatal to the ship and the 

 travellers. The wind was fair and the moon 

 shining. At ten o'clock in the evening the sound- 

 ings had shown twenty-one fathoms, and as this 

 depth continued, the officers left the deck and 



