August, flood as a falutation; or, if they had not feen us before,
they commonly enquired our names in order to know us
again. On the beach we had for fome days left off ftretch-
ing ropes to referve a clear fpot for our waterers and woodcutters
; only a centry was placed on each fide, beyond
whom they never ventured to advance, unlefs they came
frefh from the country, and were unacquainted with our
regulations. In fliort, the change which our little flay
among them had wrought in their opinion of us was already
very remarkable, and continued every day to turn
more in our favour. Yogai and Yatta, with Narrep and
feveral other natives, left the beach very foon, and returned
through the woods to their own homes, which they
pointed at as far diftant from the bay. As foon as they were
gone, captain Cook went in his boat with us to the people
who loaded ballaft under the weftern hill. Here we examined
the hot-fprings which we had difcovered on the
9th, having taken a thermometer for that purpofe, which
had flood at 78° on board the fhip, but being carried clofe
to the body had rifen to 83°. When the bulb was plunged
into the hot-fpring the mercury rofe to 19 i ° in the fpace
o f five minutes. We then took it out, and enlarged the
hole by clearing away the fand and ftones, through which
the water oozed and ran into the fea. Having replaced the
thermometer fo that it was immerged confiderably above
the
the bulb, it rofe again to 1910, and continued there up-
wards of ten minutes longer. We threw fome fmall fhell-
fifh into the fpring, and they were boiled in two or three
minutes. A piece of filver, after lying in the water above
half an hour, came out perfectly bright and untarnifhed.
Salt of tartar had no vifible effedl upon i t ; but flill, as we
obferved a kind of aftringency in its tafte, we filled a bottle
with it, and ihut it up clofe, in order to make more accurate
and complicate experiments with it after our return *.
We obferved a great number of little fiflies, not above two-
inches long, fkipping about the wet rocks like lizards, tat
which they bore a great refemblance. Their peftoral fins'
performed the functions of feet, and' their eyes were placed-
near the fummit of the head, in order to guard them
againft all their enemies when they are out of the water.
Thefe little amphibious animals were indeed fo cautious
and fo nimble at the fame time, that it was with great difficulty
we caught them. They could leap the length of a
yard with great eafe, and belonged to the genus of bknnies:
The fame or a fimilar fpecies of fifh had been obferved on-
the coaft of New Holland by captain Cook in the Endeavour
f . In one place we found them very aftive in deftroy-
ing a brood of minute young crickets, which appeared to,
have been walhed out of a crevice in the rock.
* This-bottle; full, of; the fame water, is Hill in my . father’s ppflefllon-,.
f, See Hawkefwortb,,vol. III. p, 529..
Gagtaini