154 
A VOYAGE TO 
[North Coast, 
1802. 
December, 
Friday S. 
Saturday 4. 
ones, not broader than a crown piece, which I found crawling in 
every part of the boat. It was then past sunset, and numbers of 
turtle were collected, waiting only for our departure to take the 
beach ; I therefore hastened to the ship, and sent lieutenant Fowler 
with a party of men, to remain all night and turn them. 
Next morning, two boats went to bring off' the officer and 
people with what had been caught ; but their success had been so 
great, that it was necessary to hoist out the launch ; and it took 
nearly the whole day to get on board what the decks and holds 
could contain, without impediment to the working of the ship. They 
w'ere found by Mr. Brown to be nearly similar to, but not exactly 
the true green turtle, and be thought might be an undescribed species. 
We contrived to stow away forty-six, the least of them weighing 
e^olbs, and the average about 300 ; besides which, many were 
re-turned on shore, and suffered to go away. 
This Bountiful Island, for so I termed it, is near three miles 
long, and generally low and sandy ; the highest parts are ridges of 
sand, overspread with a long, creeping, coarse grass, which binds 
the sand together, and preserves it from being blown away ; grass 
of the common kind grows in the lower parts, and in one place there 
were some bushes and small trees. The basis consists partly of a 
streaked, ochrous earth, and in part of sand, concreted with parti- 
cles of iron ore. Nothing bespoke this island to have been ever be- 
fore visited, whence it is probable that the natives of the neighbour- 
ing lands do not possess canoes ; for with them, the distance of four 
leagues from Cape Van Diemen would not have been too great to be 
passed, though too far in a tide’s way for such rafts as I saw at 
Horse-shoe Island. 
A kind of bustard, with a very strong bill, and not larger than 
a hen, was numerous at Bountiful Island ; and appeared to subsist 
upon the young turtle. The effect of instinct is admirable in all 
cases, and was very striking in these little amphibious creatures. 
When scratched out from their holes, they no sooner saw the day- 
