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morning two or three were seen near the vessel lashing the water 
with their enormous fins and tails, and leaping at intervals out of 
the sea which foamed around them for a considerable distance.” Off 
Cape Leveque “during the afternoon we were surrounded by an 
immense number of whales leaping out of the water and thrashing 
the sea with their fins, the noise of which, from the calmness and 
perfect stillness of the air, was as loud as the report of a volley of 
musquetry.” Off Point Gantheaume, also, King remarks : “As usual, 
we had been surrounded by whales.” In Prince Regent’s River 
“porpoises were observed as high as the first falls, a distance of 
fifty miles from the sea.” 
The Lacepede Islands “appear to be solely inhabitated by boo- 
bies 1 and other sea-fowl.” “Large flocks of boobies flew over the 
vessel at sunset, directing their course towards the reefs of these 
islands.” “Large flights of boobies” were also seen off Point Gan- 
theaume ; “one of them lighted upon the deck, and was easily 
taken; it seemed to be the same bird ( Pelecanus fiber) that fre- 
quents the reefs upon the north and north-eastern coasts.” 
Alligators were again observed in Prince Regent’s River. Cap- 
tain King writes. “The appearance of these animals in the water 
is very deceptions; they lie quite motionless, and resemble a branch 
of a tree floating with the tide ; the snout, the eye, and some of the 
ridges of the back and tail being the only parts that are seen. The 
animal that we fired at was noticed for some time, but considered 
to be only a dead branch, although we were looking out for alliga- 
tors, and approached within six yards of it before we found out our 
mistake. The length of this animal was from twelve to fifteen feet. 
I do not think that we have ever seen one more than twenty feet 
long.” 
“In the vicinity of the Maret Is. we saw many sea-snakes; one 
was shot and preserved; its length was four feet four inches; the 
head very small; it had neither fins nor gills; and respired like 
land snakes; on each scale was a rough ridge; it did not appear 
to be venomous.” Off Cape Leveque “a snake about four feet long, 
of a yellowish-brown colour, rose up alongside, but instantly dived 
upon seeing the vessel.” 
In Brunswick Bay, “a successful haul of the seine supplied our 
people with abundance of fish, among which were mullets weighing 
pom three to five pounds, cavallos, whitings, silver fish, breams, 
and two species of guard-fish.” Another haul “procured about four 
dozen fish, principally mullet.” Prince Regent’s River “appears to 
•‘bound with fish, particularly with mullet.” “A curious species of 
nud-fish (chironectes sp. Cuvier) was noticed of amphibious 
nature, and something similar to what we have frequently before 
een; these were, however, much larger, being about nine inches 
long. At low water the mud-banks near the cascade, that were ex- 
1 Sula leucogaster, Bodd. 
