460 
A VOYAGE TO 
1780. 
January. 
la. .. 
with their tracks in the woods, which alfo abound with 
monkies and fquirrels, but fo fhy, that it was difficult to 
fhoot them. One fpecies of the fquirrel was of a beautiful 
fhining black colour; and another fpecies ftriped brown 
and white. This is called the flying-fquirrel, from being 
provided with a thin membrane, refembling a bat’s wing, 
extending on each fide the belly, from the neck to the 
thighs, which, on firetching out their legs, fpreads, and 
enables them to fly from tree to tree, at a confiderable dif- 
tance. Lizards were in great abundance; but I do not 
know that any of us faw the guano, and another animal 
defcribed by Dampier * as refembling the guano, only 
much larger. 
Amongft its vegetable improvements, I have already men¬ 
tioned the fields of rice we paffed throughand plantains, 
various kinds of pompions, cocoa-nuts, oranges, fhaddocks, 
and pomegranates, were alfo met with; though, except the 
plantains and fhaddocks, in no great abundance. 
It is probable, from what has been already faid, relative 
to the Bifhop of Adran, that the French have introduced 
thefe improvements into the illand, for the purpofe of 
making it a more convenient refrefhing ftation for any of 
their fhips that may be bound for Cambodia, or Cochin 
China. Should they have made, or intend to make, any 
fettlement in thofe countries, it is certainly well fituated for 
that purpofe, or for annoying the trade of their enemies, in 
cafe of war. 
Our fportfmen were very unfuccefsful in their purfuit 
of the feathered game, with which the woods are well 
flocked. One of our gentlemen had the good fortune to 
* Vid. Dampier, Vol. i. p. 392. 
fhoot 
