102 
ness of the night. We killed several of them, and collected a large 
number of their eggs, but neither appeared to us good; the eg^s 
especially, although they were fresh, were hardly edible.” On the 
Island of Three Bays, discovered later, “one can obtain oysters and 
fish.” 
[All these last observations were made in exploring Freycinet 
Harbour, between Dirk Hartog Island and Peron Peninsula.] 
Hamelin Bay, on the east side of Peron Peninsula, was also 
explored. Near Faure Island “vast sandbanks were discovered 
which, at this period of the year were covered with turtles 
our companions obtained 15 turtles in less than three hours, of which 
some weighed 122 to 147 kilos. (250-3001bs.) 
“The animal productions of the sea,” in the southern part of 
Shark’s Bay, “are the same” as those described by M. Peron in the 
neighbourhood of Bernier Isle; “those of the land only appear to 
differ in the species of kangaroo which, larger on the continent than 
on the islands, is also rarer there; finally, the continent alone pos- 
sesses dogs; and the hu.man species is also peculiar to it.” 
“From the commercial point of view, the prodigious number of 
whales which we saw there seems to prove that speculations having 
for object the fishery of this animal would be successful; and the 
employment of water distillers would furnish sufficient for the needs 
of the fishermen. Fish and turtles would offer them an abundant 
and healthy nourishment ; and possibly pearls, if more systematically 
captured, would pay for the labour of obtaining them.” 
On the 4th of September, the “Naturaliste” left Sharks Bay 
for Timor, where she arrived, as previously mentioned on the 21st. 
On the 13th of November, having lost a number of their crew 
by scurvy during their stay at Timor, the two boats sailed again 
for Australia, and rounding the Leeuwin early in January reached 
Van Diemen’s Land on the 13th. On the voyage Peron devoted his 
attention principally to pelagic animals. Deaths continued to occur 
on both ships from scurvy. “On the 20th of November, we en- 
countered on the surface of the sea a great quantity of those 
Physalias, whose interesting habits 1 have already described (in the 
account of the journey from (lie Canaries to Mauritius). The species 
here referred to appears to me different from that of the Atlantic 
Ocean : I described it under the name of Physalia australis, and I 
made, on the organisation of these peculiar animals, a great number 
of researches, of which the details will be presented in the zoological 
part of our travels.” 
“On the 24th we saw for the first time the Storm-birds (Procel- 
laria pelagica , Lin.) : we were in the 14th degree of South Latitude. 
On the 7th of December, in 17°, and the 1st of January in 34°, we 
perceived others; which is very unusual in this latitude. “On the 25th 
November, we captured a shark 32dms. (10ft.) long, which furnished 
us a new example of the prodigious irritability of these fish. Actu- 
