SIR JOSERH BANKS. 
l8 
to leave the children upon the spot without even opening their shelter; we, there- 
fore, threw into the house to them some beads, ribbons, cloth, &c., as presents, 
and went away. We, however, thought it no improper measure to take away 
with us all the lances which we could find about the houses, amounting in number 
to forty or fifty. They varied in length from 6 to 1.5 feet. Both those which 
were thrown at us, and all we found, excejit one. had four prongs headed with 
very sharp fish bones, which were besmeared with a greenish-coloured gum, that 
at first gave me some suspicion of poison. 
The people were blacker than any we have seen on the voyage, though by no 
means negroes; their beards w'ere thick and bushy, and they seemed to have a 
reilundancy of hair u])on those }>arts of the body where it commonly grows. The 
hair of their heads was bushy and thick, but by no means woolly hke that of a negro. 
They were of a common size, lean, and seemed active and nimble; their voices 
were coarse and strong. Upon examining the lances we had taken from them 
we fomid that most of them had been used for striking fish ; at least we concluded 
so from the seaweed winch we found stuck in among the four ]>rongs. 
At night many moving lights were seen at different parts of the bay; such as 
we had been used to see at the Islands, from hence we supposed that the people 
here strike fish in the same manner. 
29th. The fishing fires, as we supposed them to be, were seen during the greater 
part of the night. In the morning we went ashore at the houses, but found not 
the least good effect from our presents yesterdaj’. Xo signs of people w^ere to be 
seen; and in the house where the children were yesterday, was left everjdhing 
which we had thrown to them. 
1st May. The captain. Dr. Solander, and myself, and some of the people, 
making in all ten muskets, resolved to make an excursion into the country. We 
accordingly did so, and walked till we completely tired ourselves, which was in 
the evening; seeing by the way only one Indian, who ran from us as soon as he 
saw us. The soil, whenever we saw it, consisted of either swamps or light sandy 
soil, on winch grew very few species of trees — one,* which was large, yielding a 
gum much hke Sanguis draconis — but every place w'as covered with vast quantities 
of grass. We saw' many Indian houses, and places where they had .slept upon the 
grass without the least shelter. In these we left beads, ribbons, &c. We saw 
one quadruped about the size of a rabbit. My greyhound just got sight of him, 
and instantly lamed himself against a stumj) which lay concealed in the long grass. 
We saw' also the dung of a large animal that had fed on grass, much resembhng 
that of a stag; also the footj)iints of an animal clawed like a dog or wolf, and as 
large as the latter, and of a small animal whose feet w’ere like those of a polecat 
or weasel. The trees overhead abounded very much with lorj’quets and cockatoos, 
of which we shot several. 
2nd. The morning was iain 3 ’, and we had alreadj’ so man\' plants that we were 
well contented to find an excuse for stajfing on board to exainine them a httle. 
In the afternoon, however, it cleared up, and we returned to our old occupation 
of collecting, in which we had our usual good success. Tupia, who strayed from 
UR in pursuit of parrots, of w'hich we shot several, told us on his return that he had 
seen nine Indians, who ran from him as soon as they perceived him. 
3rd. Our collections of plantsf was now grown so immensely large that it was 
necessary that some extraordinarj’ care should be taken of them, lest they should 
* A species of Eucalyptus or gum-tree. 
t Many of tlie identical plants collected by Banks and Solander were presented by the Trustees 
of the British Museum to the Xational Herbarium. Botanic Gardens, Sydney, in 1904. See my 
Annual Keport of the Botanic Gardens for that year for a list. The Collector of the Botanic 
Gardens, Sydney, and I are engaged in making a collection of plants from Kurnell (“ Captain 
Cook’s* Landing-place ”) from the place where Banks and Solander collected. I was amused 
to flnd’that around Kurnell the grass, Andrupogon retractus, is kno*vn as " Banks’ Orchid ” I 
