54 
W. B. ALEXANDER, M.A. : 
great Fish — Nor could we catch any Fish with our Hooks and 
Lines all the while we lay there. ... In other Places at Low- 
water they seek for Cockles, Muscles, and Periwinkles : of these 
Shell-fish there are fewer still. . . . Our strikers brought home 
Turtle and Manatee every day, which was our constant Food." 
Having cleaned their ship, they sailed for Sumatra on March 
the 12th.. 
Eight years later, in 1696, Willem dc Vlamingh sighted the 
coast of the South Land on the 29th of December. He tells us 
that “ Our people observed a remarkable fish here, about two 
feet long, with a round head and a sort of arms and legs and 
even something like hands. ... On the 31st of December I 
put on shore with our skipper and directing my steps into the 
interior of the island [Rottnest I found several sorts of herbs, 
the greater part of which were known to me, and some of which 
resembled in smell those of our own country. There were also 
a variety of trees. There are very few birds there and no animals, 
except a kind oi rat as big as a common cat, whose dung is found 
in abundance over all the island. There are also very few seals 
or fish, except a sort of sardines and grey rock bream.” 
On the 5th of January they landed on the mainland at 
what is now Cottesloe Beach and “ proceeded eastwards, without 
finding anything of consequence, besides a species of large trees 
whence distilled a kind of gum, like gum-lack, and plenty of 
wild parrots. After an hour’s march we came to a large basin 
of brackish water [Freshwater Bay], which we afterwards found 
was a river.” On the following day “ they brought me the nut 
of a certain fruit tree, resembling in form the ' drioens,’ having 
the taste of our large Dutch beans ; and those which were younger 
were like a walnut [no doubt these were the seeds of the Zamia], 
I ate five or six of them, but after an interval of about three 
hours I and five others who had eaten of these fruits began to 
vomit so violently that we were as dead men ; so that it was 
with the greatest difficulty that I and the crew regained the 
shore, and thence, in company with the skipper, were put on 
board the galliot, leaving the rest on shore.” 
The whole of the crew returned on board next day and 
reported finding black swans. “ They catched four, two of 
which were brought alive to Batavia.” 
On the 10th they proceeded to explore the river with three 
boats. “ We saw many swans (our boat knocked over nine or 
ten), some cormorants, geese, some divers, etc., also a quantity 
of fish which were frisking on the water. We also heard the song 
of the nightingale.” Having ascended the river six or seven 
leagues, they returned. 
