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The country was covered with immense ant-hills; one that Mr. 
Cunningham measured was eight feet high and nearly twenty-six 
in circumference; but on breaking it up lie found it to be deserted 
by its constructors; an iguana which was hunted by that gentleman 
took refuge in one of these hills, which proved a safe asylum, for, 
although he broke a great part down, it escaped. 
The most numerous and annoying of the inhabitants were the 
flies, from their constantly creeping into the eyes, nostrils, and 
mouth, particularly during meals. 
In Exmouth Gulf the sea was abundantly stocked with fish 
and turtle, though it did not appear to be the season for the latter 
to lay their eggs. An immense shark was hooked, but it broke the 
hook and escaped; its length was about twelve feet, of an ashy-grey 
colour, spotted all over with darker marks; the belly was white, 
and the nose short; it was altogether different from any we had 
before seen. Curlew River appeared to abound in fish, but the only 
sort that was caught was what the sailors called cat-fish; they were 
of a nauseous taste. 
In Exmouth Gulf the eastern shore was covered with dead 
shells, among which a buccinum of immense size was noticed. Near 
Curlew River the shore is lined by a barrier of sharp rocks covered 
with ostrea and nerita; but although these were the only living 
testaceous animals that were found, the beach was covered with a 
multitude of dead and imperfect shells of various species. The 
shores of a bay on Enderby Island were plentiful in shell-fish, par- 
ticularly oysters; and beche-de-mer were also abundant in the 
crevices of the rocks. 
After leaving Depuch Island the “Mermaid” proceeded to survey 
Rowley’s Shoals and then sailed eastward to Arnheim Land. After 
spending more than two months examining this part of' the coast of 
the Northern Territory, she proceeded to Timor and thence returned 
to the North-West coast at Barrow Island. A few days were then 
spent sailing round the Montebello Islands. “Off these islands,” 
says King, “we had much calm weather, during which we were sur- 
rounded by myriads of fish, of which sharks, and small whales, called 
by the whalers fin-backs, were the most conspicuous. The smaller 
kinds consisted of bonetas, barracoutas, porpoises, and flying fish. 
A voracious dolphin was harpooned, in the maw of which was a 
barracouta in a half-digested state, and in the throat a flying-fish, 
bitten in half, waiting its turn to be swallowed; for its tail had 
not disappeared out of the dolphin’s mouth.” 
At this point they left the coast and proceeded by way of Bass 
Straits to Sydney which was reached on July 29, 1818. 
Before Captain King returned to the west coast to continue his 
survey, the French ships “Uranie” and “Physicienne,” under the 
command of Captain Freycinet, had visited Sharks Bay on their 
