WHALING VOYAGE. 
311 
which are not far distant from the north-eastern part of 
New Holland. When we arrived we sailed about them 
for two or three days, but we saw no whales. On the 
third after making them, two boats were sent on shore 
for the purpose of procuring a few cocoa-nuts, and we 
started for that purpose rather early in the day. In our 
passage we found the sun intolerably hot, and we passed 
among several small islands before w’e arrived at that 
upon which we wished to land. The scenery all around 
was remarkably wild and beautiful ; the islands which 
we threaded were surrounded with coral reefs, some 
nearly level with the surface of the sea, and some we 
could perceive several feet below it, which were inha- 
bited by great numbers of fish of various kinds. All 
the islands were covered with a rich foliage down to 
the water’s edge, the various tints of which added to 
the rare beauty of the scene. Several large trees grew 
here and there, upon which we saw some enormous 
birds of the vulture kind. As we passed along w r e 
landed on one of the small islands, which was not en- 
tirely covered with verdure, a few bare patches of white 
sand existing in a few places, and reflecting the rays of 
the sun in a very powerful degree. When we landed, 
we found the heat upon it perfectly insufferable, and we 
were very soon glad to get into the boats again, and 
lave our hands and feet in the cool ocean. But although 
the heat was so unendurable to us, we saw huddled 
together on the sand hundreds of black birds, which are 
about the size of a pigeon, called <€ noddies” by the 
sailors they actually appeared quite chilly, and they 
