354 LAST HOPE INLET — SWANS — COOTS. April 1830, 



by high land far to the northward of Worsley Bay. Many 

 deer were seen on the plains eastward of the inlet, and some 

 were shot at, but escaped. Swans, ducks, and coots had been 

 killed in such numbers, that on their return all the schooner's 

 crew were plentifully supplied. Of this place Mr. Kirke says : 

 ' At the commencement of the N.E. sound there is low land, 

 which extends about thirteen miles up its shores. The entrance 

 is three or four miles wide ; but five miles up, the inlet is con- 

 tracted to about half a mile in width, by a shoal connecting 

 three islets with the western shore. These islets were literally 

 surrounded by black-necked swans, mixed with a few which 

 had black-tipped wings : the male of the latter has a peculiar 

 note, which sounds like ' ken kank,' but the female only sounds 

 ' kank.' 



" ' A few coots were shot in this neighbourhood, out of an 

 immense quantity seen. In each of two flocks, I think, there 

 must have been upwards of a thousand. 



" ' From these islets the sound trends nearly north for seven 

 or eight miles, when it is again narrowed by an island, on each 

 side of which there is a narrow passage for a vessel ; but the 

 eastern one is the best. The few bays near here are fit for small 

 vessels only. 



" ' Beyond this island the face of the country begins to alter 

 from low to mountainous land, with long flats in the valleys, 

 and the sound also changes its course more to the N.W. Near 

 a high bluff" on the eastern shore, eight miles further up the 

 sound, the land becomes higher and covered with snow ; yet 

 there are still a few level patches between the mountains. 

 From this bluff" the sound trends about a point more westerly 

 for five or six miles, to a place where there is a small inlet, on 

 the left, between two snow-covered, mountainous ridges. The 

 water there was changed to a clayey-colour, and had a brackish 

 taste. Continuing our course for two miles, I found a large 

 expanse of water, the north end of which was limited by low 

 land, backed by high snowy mountains in the distance ; its 

 southern extreme terminated at the foot of high mountains, 

 also covered with snow ; and had a large run of water from a 



