April 1830. deer— iiiver— -lagoo^c. 355 



glacier on the western side. In returning we saw some deer on 

 the eastern shore of the low land, between the islands of the 

 second reach, but could not get within gun-shot : they appeared 

 to be of a dark colour, and fully as large as a guanaco. Some 

 of our men thought they could distinguish small straight horns, 

 but I could not myself see them.((i) I endeavoured to cross the 

 isthmus, where Lieutenant Skyring had seen water from Focus 

 Island, near Easter Bay, and first attempted it by the course 

 of a fresh water river, at the head of the bay ; but I found the 

 country so thickly covered with stunted wood, about eight feet 

 high, and exceedingly prickly, that I lost my way twice, and 

 returned to the shore ; I tried again however, about half a mile 

 more to the eastward, and at last got to a high part of the 

 land. When there, and mounted on another man's shoulders, 

 I could scarcely see above the trees (which, at the roots, were 

 not thicker than a man's wrist) : there was evidently a large 

 expanse of water, but I could not distinguish much of it. I 

 think it probable that it is fresh, as the river, fifty yards wide, 

 is rapid, and appears to run out of it. There is not any high 

 land in the neighbourhood, whence such a run of fresh water 

 could be supplied. 



" ' I saw numbers of deer tracks about this place, and the 

 boaf s crew observed three deer similar to those above-men- 

 tioned.'— (Kirke MS.) 



" We weighed on the 22d, and towed out of Easter Bay, 

 with the hope of repassing Kirke Narrow ; but shortly after- 

 wards so dense a fog arose, that we could distinguish no land, 

 and were unable to profit by the advantage of a light fair wind, 

 with otherwise favourable weather. In the afternoon, when it 

 cleared up a little, we anchored in Fog Bay, on the west side 

 of the channel, about three miles from Kirke Narrow. 



CdJ Mr. Kirke was rather short-sighted, and therefore unable to dis- 

 cern distant objects clearly. From the natives of Ponsonby land, be- 

 tween the Otway and Skyring Waters, I procured, and gave to Captain 

 King, some short straight horns, and parts of the skins of animals, which 

 were probably deer of the kind seen by Mr. Kirke, and, since that time, 

 by Mr. Low, when he followed my track into the Skyring Water with 

 his sealing vessel, the Unicorn schooner. — R. F. 



2 A 2 



