Zeeland! T h e rocky mountains, the forfeits, yea, human nature
itfelf, all look lavage and forbidding. Th e animal creation are already
lefs happy than between the tropics, and hawks and owls,
the tyrants o f the wood, prey upon the weak and defencelefs: Hill
however the whole country rings with continual fongs, o f which,
the fweetnefs, emulates that o f our firft fongfters.. But as we advance
to the South, and crofs an immenfe ocean, in the midft of
which we fee fome lonely birds, Ikimming the waves, and collecting
an uncertain fuftenance ; we arrive at the South-end o f America,
and view a barren coaft, inhabited by the laft and moft m i-
ferable o f men, and but fcantily clad with lqw and crooked
fhrubs : we find a number o f vultures, eagles, and hawks, always
hovering about, upon the watch for pr ey : and laftly, we obferve-
that the greateft part o f the other birds live gregarious in a few-
fpots 5 whilft the rocks are occupied by a race o f feals,. which im
comparifon With the reft o f animals, feem monftrous and mif-
fliapen.
The clafles of birds and fifhes,. are the only numerous ones id
the countries which we have vifited : thofe of quadrupeds and in.-
feds are confined to an exceeding fmall number of Well known
fpecies. Thofe of cetacea, amphibia and. vermes, are likewife.
not numerous, and the two firft epecially contain fcarce any thing
new,
QtJAl
( Q U A D R U P E D S .
In the tropical illes they have but four fpepies o f quadrupeds,
two of which are domeftic ; and the remaining ones are the vam-
pyre and the common rat. This laft inhabits the Marquefas,
Society-Ules, Friendly-lfles, and the New-Hebrides; it is alfo
found, at. New-Zeeland ; but whether it may not have been tranf-
ported thither by. our fhips is uncertain ; at New-Caledonia, however,
It has never been feen. Rats are in incredible numbers, at
the Society-Ifles, and efpecially at O-Taheitee, where they live
upon the fcraps. of meals, which the natives leave in their huts, upon
the flowers and pods of the erythrina corallodendron, upon plan-
tanes and other fruits, and for want of thefe, on all forts of excrements
; nay, they are fometimes fo bold, as to be faid to attack the
toes of. the inhabitants whilft they, are afleep. They are much
fcarcer at the Marquefas and Friendly-lfles, and feldom feen at
the New-Hebrides.
The vampyre (vejferttlio vamfyrus) which is the largeft known
fpecies of. bat, isronly feen in. the more Weftern ifles. At the
Friendly-lfles they live gregarious by feveral, hundreds, and fome
of them are feen flying about the whole, day : I found a large cafu-
arina-tree, hung with at leaft 500 of them in various attitudes,
fome by the hind and others by.the fore-feet. They live chiefly
B b j on
A N IM A L
K IN G D OM