274 AUSTRALIA CHAP, XI 
many brimstone-coloured spots, those of his under wings 
being indented deeply at each end. 
We saw no fresh water, but several swamps of salt 
overgrown with mangroves; in these we found some species 
of shells, among them Trochus perspectivus, Linn. Here also 
was a very singular phenomenon in a small fish of which 
there were great abundance. It was about the size of an 
English minnow, and had two very strong breast fins; we 
often found it in quite dry places, where maybe it had been 
left by the tide. Upon seeing us it immediately fled from 
us, leaping as nimbly as a frog by means of the breast fins; 
nor did it seem to prefer water to land, for if seen in the 
water he often leaped out and proceeded on dry land, and 
when the water was filled with small stones standing above 
its surface, would leap from stone to stone rather than go 
into the water. In this manner I observed several pass 
over puddles of water and proceed on the other side leaping 
as before. 
In the afternoon we went to the other side of the bay; if 
anything, the soil was rather better. In neither morning 
nor evening were there any traces of inhabitants ever having 
been where we were, except that here and there trees had 
been burnt down. 
8th June. We passed within a quarter of a mile of a 
small islet or rock, on which we saw with our glasses about 
thirty men, women, and children standing all together, and 
looking attentively at us; the first people we have seen show 
any signs of curiosity at the sight of the ship. 
10¢h. Just without us as we lay at anchor was a small 
sandy island lying upon a large coral shoal much resembling 
the low islands to the eastward of us, but the first of the 
kind we had met with in this part of the South Sea. Early 
in the morning we weighed and sailed as usual with a fine 
breeze along shore. While we were at supper she went over 
a bank of seven or eight fathoms of water, which she came 
upon very suddenly ; this we concluded to be the tail of the 
shoals we had seen at sunset, and therefore went to bed in 
perfect security; but scarcely were we warm in our beds 
