THE HISTORY OF ZOOLOGY IN 1 WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 
53 
certain animals are found, since we saw many excrements, and 
besides two seals and a wild cat, resembling a civet-cat, but 
with browner hair [the short-tailed wallaby, Macropus brachyurus, 
the only mammal known on Rottnest].” 
The crew of another of the ships searching for the survivors 
of the “ Vergulde Draeck,” named the “ Emeloort,” “ on the 
15th of March, 1658, saw many gulls, entirely black but of small 
size [probably wedge-tailed petrels (mutton-birds), Thyel/odroma 
pacifica ], and on the 17th several wag-tails,” 
We next come to the first visit of Dampier to our shores. 
Most of the account he gives of his observations 1 have left in 
his own words, only condensing his narrative in the passages 
which do not refer to natural history. 
The buccaneering ship '‘Cygnet,” on which was William 
Dampier, determined in 1686 to sail from America homeward 
by way of the East Indies. Having successfully crossed the 
Pacific and cruised for some time in Philippine and Chinese 
waters, on " the 4th day of January, 1688,” says Dampier, " we 
fell in with the Land of New Holland in the Lat. of 16 0 50' in 
what is now the Kimberley district]. Coasting along to the 
eastward we found a pretty deep Bay (Cygnet Bay), with abund- 
ance of Islands in it, and a very good place to anchor in or to 
hale ashore," and anchored there next day two miles from the 
shore, in 29 fathoms. “ The Land is of a dry sandy Soil, destitute 
of Water, except you make Wells ; yet producing divers sorts 
of Trees ; but the’ Woods are not thick, nor the Trees very big. 
Most of the Trees that we saw are Dragon-trees, as we supposed. 
We saw no sort of Animal, nor any Track of Beast but 
once ; and that seemed to be the dread of a Beast as big as a 
great’ Mastiff-Dog. Here are a. few small Land-birds, but none 
bigger than a Blackbird; and but few Sea-fowls. Neither is 
the Sea very plentifully stored with Pish, unless you reckon the 
Manatee and Turtle as such. Of these Creatures there is plenty ; 
but they are extraordinary shy ; though the Inhabitants cannot 
trouble them much, having neither Boats nor Iron. 
Then follows the often-quoted description of the natives, the 
first detailed account of the Australian aborigines to be published. 
In the course of this description he says; " Their Eyelids are 
always half closed, to keep the Flies out of their Eyes ; they 
being so troublesome here, that no Panning will keep them horn 
coming to ones Face ; and without the assistance of both Hands 
to keep them off, they will creep into ones Nostrils, and Mouth too, 
if the Lips are not shut very close. The only food oi tin- 
natives " is a small sort of Fish, which they get by making Mares 
of Stone across little Coves or Branches of the Sea ; every 1 ide 
bringing in the small Fish, and there leaving them for a Prey 
to these People. . . . They have no instruments to catch 
