6o 
W. B. ALEXANDER, M.A. : 
“ In the Night (of the 23rd) while Calm, we fish’d with Hook 
and Line, and caught good Store of Fish, viz., Snappers, Breams, 
Old-M ives and Dog-fish. When these last came we seldom 
caught any others ; for if they did not drive away the other 
Fish, yet they would be sure to keep them from taking our Hooks 
for they would first have them themselves, bitiug very greedily. 
Y\ e caught also a Monk-fish, of which I brought Home the Picture,” 
1 he figure is very poor, it probably represents the fish still 
known by the same name, Rhina squatina.\ 
“ dhe 28th Day we . . . saw no Land . . ., but saw a great 
many Snakes and some Whales. We saw also some Boobies, and 
Noddy-birds ; and in the Night caught one of these last. It 
was of another Shape and Colour than any I had seen before. 
It had a small long Bill, as all of them have, flat Feet like Ducks 
Feet ; its Tail forked like a Swallow, but longer and broader, 
and the Fork deeper than that of the Swallow, with very long 
M mgs ; the Top or Crown of the Head of this Noddy was Coal- 
black, having also small black Streaks round about and close 
to the Eyes ; and round these Streaks on each Side a pretty 
broad white Circle. The Breast, Belly, and under part of the 
Wings of this Noddy were White ; and the Back and upper part 
of its Wings of a faint black or smoke Colour. See a Picture of 
this. Fig. 5. [This agrees very closely with the Australian brown- 
winged tern, M clanosterna anactheia, but it might refer to the 
Australian sooty tern. Noddies are seen in most Places between 
the Tropicks, as well in the East-Indies, and on the Coast of 
Brazil, as in the West dn dies. They rest ashore a Nights, and 
therefore we never see them far at Sea, not above 20 or 30 Leagues, 
unless driven off in Storm. When they come about a Ship 
they commonly perch in the Night, and will sit still till they are 
taken by the Seamen. They build on Cliffs against the Sea, or 
Rocks.” 
On the 31st August they landed again to search for water, 
and had an encounter with the natives. “ There were several 
things like Hay-cocks, standing in the Savannah ; which at a 
distance we thought were Houses, looking just like the Hottentot’s 
houses at the Cape of G. Hope ; but we found them to be so many 
Rocks.” [Probably, as suggested by Flinders, these were nests 
of termites.] 
The savages here “ were much the same blinking Creatures ” 
as he had met with previously, “ (here being also abundance of 
the same kind of Flesh-flies teizing them.) . . . While we were 
about the Well we were sadly pester’d with the Flies.” 
“ Here are a great many Rocks in the large Savannah we 
were in, which are 3 or 6 Foot high, and round at top like a 
Hay-cock, very remarkable ; some red, and some white.” [Nests 
of termites;] “ There are but few Land- Animals. I saw some 
