JULY 1770 LEAVE ENDEAVOUR RIVER 291 
had we looked further we should have found our other 
trinkets, for they seemed to set no value on anything we 
had except our turtle, which of all things we were the least 
able to spare them. 
24th. While travelling in a deep valley, the sides of 
which were steep almost as a wall, but covered with trees and 
plenty of brushwood, we found marking-nuts (Anacardiwm 
orientale) lying on the ground. JDesirous as we were to 
find the tree on which they had grown, a thing that I 
believe no European botanist has seen, we were not with all 
our pains able to find it, so after cutting down four or five 
trees, and spending much time, we were obliged to give 
over our hopes. 
26th. While botanising to-day I had the good fortune to 
take an animal of the opossum (Didelphis) tribe; it was a 
female, and with it I took two young ones. It was not 
unlike that remarkable one which De Buffon has described 
by the name of Phalanger as an American animal. It was, 
however, not the same. M. de Buffon is certainly wrong in 
asserting that this tribe is peculiar to America, and in all 
probability, as Pallas has said in his Zoologia, the Phalanger 
itself is a native of the East Indies, as my animals and that 
agree in the extraordinary conformation of their feet, in 
which particular they differ from all the others. 
27th. This day was dedicated to hunting the wild animal. 
We saw several, and had the good fortune to kill a very 
large one weighing 84 lbs. 
28th. Botanising with no kind of success, the plants 
were now entirely completed, and nothing new to be found, 
so that sailing is all we wish for, if the wind would but 
allow us. 
10th August. Fine weather, so the anchor was got up, 
and we sailed down to leeward, hoping there might be a 
passage that way. In this we were much encouraged by 
the sight of some high islands where we hoped the shoals 
would end. By twelve we were among these, and fancied 
that the grand or outer reef ended on one of them, so were 
all in high spirits; but about dinner-time the people who 
