58 
W. B. ALEXANDER, M.A. : 
on their Backs like those of Crocodiles, plated on to the Skin, or 
stuck into it, as part of the Skin. They are very slow in Motion ; 
and when a Man comes nigh them they will stand still and hiss, 
not endeavouring to get away. Their Livers are also spotted 
black and yellow : And the Body when opened hath a very 
unsavoury Smell. I did never see such ugly Creatures any where 
but here. The Guano’s 1 have observ’d to be very good Meat : 
And I have often eaten of them with Pleasure ; but tho I have 
eaten of Snakes, Crocodiles and Allegators, and many Creatures 
that look frightfully enough, and there are but few 1 should 
have been afraid to eat of, if prest by Hunger, yet I think ray 
Stomach would scarce have serv’d to venture upon these N. 
Holland Guano’s, both the Looks and Smell of them being so 
offensive." T his long and curious account evidently refers to 
the shingle-back or stump-tailed lizard, TracJrysaurus rugosus.} 
“ The Sea-fish that we saw here (for here was no River, 
Land or Pond of fresh Water to be seen) are chiefly Sharks. 
There are abundance of them in this particular Sound, that I 
therefore give it the Name of Shark’s Bay. Here are also Skates, 
Thornbacks, and other Fish of the Ray-kind ; (one Sort especially 
like the Sea-Devil) and Gar-fish, Boneta’s, etc. Of Shell-fish we 
got here Muscles, Periwinkles, Limpits, Oysters, both of the 
Pearl-kind and also Eating-Oysters, as well the common Sort 
as long Oysters ; besides Cockles, etc. The Shore was lined 
thick with many other sorts of very strange and beautiful shells, 
for variety of Colour and Shape, most finely spotted with Red, 
Black, or Yellow, etc., such as I have not seen any where but at 
this place. I brought away a great many of them ; but lost all, 
except a very few, and those not of the best. 
“ There are also some green Turtle weighing about 200 lb 
Of these we caught 2 which the Water Ebbing had left behind a 
Ledge of Rock, which they could not creep over. These served 
all my Company 2 Days ; and they were indifferent sweet Meat. 
Of the Sharks we caught a great many, which our Men eat very 
savourily. Among them we caught one which was 11 Foot long. 
The space between its two Eyes was 20 Inches, and 18 Inches 
from one Corner of his Mouth to the other. Its Maw was like a 
Leather Sack, very thick, and so tough that a sharp Knife could 
scarce cut it : In which we found the Head and Boans of a 
Hippopotamus ; the hairy Lips of which were still sound and 
not putrified, and the Jaw was also firm, out of which we pluckt 
a great many Teeth, 2 of them 8 Inches long, and as big as a 
Man’s Thumb, small at one end, and a little crooked ; the rest 
not above half so long. The Maw was fully of Jelly, which stank 
extreamly : However I saved for a while the Teeth and the 
Shark’s jaw : The Flesh of it was divided among my Men ; and 
they took care that no waste should be made of it.’’ (The head 
