18 COOK’s VOYAGE, 
thofe in England, and we found the fummer not hotter, tho’ 
it was more equally warm ; fo that if this country Ihould be 
fettled by people from Europe, they would, with a little in- 
duftry, be very foon fupplied not only with the neceffaries, 
but luxuries of life in great abundance. 
In this country there are no quadrupeds but dogs and rats, 
at lead: we faw no other, and the rats are fo fcarce that many 
of us never faw them. The dogs live with the people, who 
breed them for no other purpofe than to eat : there might in- 
deed be quadrupeds that we did not fee, but this is not pro- 
bable, becaufe the chief pride of the natives, with refpeft to 
their drefs, is in the Ikins and hair of fuch animals as they 
have, and we never faw the fldfnS of any animal about them 
but thofe of dogs and birds: there are indeed feals upon the 
coaft, and we once faw a fea lion ; but we imagine they are 
feldom caught, for though we faw fome of their teeth, which 
were fafhioned into an Ornament like a bodkin, and worn by 
the natives at their bread, and highly valued, we faw none of 
their ikins: there are -whales alfo upon this coaft, and though 
the people did not appear to have any art or inftrument by 
which fiich an animal could be taken and killed, wc faw pat- 
too-pattoos in the poffeflion of fome of them, which were 
made of the bone of a whale, or of fome other animal w'hofe 
bone had exaftly the fame appearance. 
Of birds the fpecies are not many ; and of thefe none, ex- 
cept perhaps the gannet, is the fame with thofe of Europe : 
here are ducks indeed, and lhaggs of feveral kinds, fufficient- 
ly refembling thofe of Europe, to be called the fame, by 
thofe who have not examined them very nicely. Here are alfo 
hawks, owls, and quails, which differ but little from thofe cf 
Europe at firft fight ; and feveral fmall birds, whofe fong, as 
has been remarked in the courfcof the narrative, is much 
more melodious than any that we had ever heard. 
The fea coaft is alfo vifited by many oceanic birds, parti- 
cularly albatrofles, fheerwaters, pintados, and a few of the 
birds, which Sir John Narborough has called Penguins, and 
which indeed are what the French call Nuance, and feem to 
be a middle fpecies between bird and fifh ; for their feathers, 
efpecially thofe upon their wings, differ very little from feales ; 
and their wings themfelves, which they ufe only in diving, 
and net to accelerate their motioA even upon the furface of 
the water, may, perhaps, with equal propriety, be called fins. 
Neither are in lefts in greater plenty than birds : a few but- 
terflies and beetles, flefh flies, very like thofe in Europe, and 
fome mufquitos and fand-fiies, perhaps exaftly the fame with 
thofe of North-America, make up the whole catalogue. Of 
mufquitos and fand flies, however, which are juftlv accounted 
the curfe of every country where they abound, we did not fee 
many ; there were indeed a few in almoft every place where 
we 
