220 
SOUTH SEA 
the cavern by its force, forming a circuit, a wild whirling 
eddy, which carried both the infuriated beasts into the 
sea, and I saw them no more* 
I now returned to the people I had left, crossing in 
my route a small descending plain, upon which w r er@ 
huddled together thousands of young birds, called by 
mariners u shags.” It was their breeding time; a few 
were lying together in each nest, which was a mere 
shallow hollow, scooped out of the ordure which covered 
the island, in places to a considerable depth ; they 
were so unaccustomed to danger of any kind, that I 
had a great deal of difficulty in passing through their 
numbers without walking over them. I also saw here 
several beautiful king penguins, and a few wild turkeys. 
I found our sailors busily engaged with the skins of the 
seals they had killed, fifty-two in number, with which 
we soon after returned to the ship, experiencing the 
same difficulty in embarking as we had done before in 
disembarking, but which we accomplished in perfect 
safety. As we were going on board the ship, the boat 
in which I happened to be, came in contact with a large 
grey pelican, which seemed to know so little of the reck" 
ieoS cruelty of man, that it suffered itself to be quietly 
taken with a common boat-hook, which was placed 
round its neck, and with which it was hauled alongside. 
