mon and fea gulls ; a few black oyfter catchers, or fea-pies;
and a pretty plover of a ftone colour, with a black hood.
About the pond or lake behind the beach, a few wild ducks
were feen ; and fome fhags ufed to .perch upon the high
leaflefs trees near the ihore.
Some pretty large blackifh fnakes were feen in the woods;
and we killed a large, hitherto unknown, lizard, fifteen
inches long and fix round, elegantly clouded with black and-
yellow ; befides a fmall fort, of a brown gilded colour above,
and rufty below.
The fea affords a much greater plenty, and at leali as
-great a-variety as the land. Of thefe the elephant fifh, or
pejegallo, mentioned in Frezier’s Voyage *, are the molt numerous
; and though inferior to many other fiih, were very
palatable food. Several large rays, nurfes, and fmall lea-
ther-jackets were caught; with fome fmall white bream,
which were firmer and better than thofe caught in thè lake.
We likewife got a few foies and flounders; two forts of
gurnards, one of them a new fpecies -, fome fmall fpotted
mullet ; and, very unexpectedly, the fmall fifh with a filver
band on its fide, called atherina hepfetus by HaiTelquift -f-.
But that next in number, and fuperior in goodnefs, to the
-elephant fifh, was a fort none of us recollected to have feen
before. It partakes o f the nature both of a round and of a
flat fifh, having the eyes placed very near each other ; the
fore-part of the body much flattened or deprefied, and the
reft rounded. It is of a brownifh fandy colour, with rufty
Tpots on the upper part, and whitifh below. From the
* Tom. ii. p. 211. i-2mo. Planche X V I I . f Iter PaUJlinum.
quantity of flime it was always covered with, it feenjs to lin •
Live after the manner of flat fifh, at the bottom. . Jan“" y~.
Upon, the rocks are plenty of mufcles, and fome other
fmall fhell-fifh. There are alfo great numbers of fea-ftars;
fome fmall limpets; and large quantities of fponge; one
fort of which, that is thrown on ihore by the fea, but not
very common, has a moft delicate texture; and another, is
the fpangia dichotoma.
Many pretty Medufas heads were found upon the beach;
and the ftinking laplyfta or fea-hare, which, as mentioned
by fome authors, has the property of taking off the hair by
the acrimony of its juice ; but this fort was deficient in this >
refpedl.
Infeits,. though not numerous,\are here, in confiderable
variety. Amongft them are grafshoppers, butterflies, and
feveral forts of fmall moths, finely variegated.. There are
two forts of dragon-flies, gad-flies, camel-fites; feveral forts
of fpiders; and fome fcorpions; but the laft are rather rare.
The moft troublefome, though not very numerous tribe o f
infeSts, are the mufquitoes; and a large black ant, the
pain of whofe bite is almoft intolerable, during the fhort
time it lafts. The mufquitoes, alfo, make up the defici-'
ency of their number, by the feverity of their venomous .
probojeis.
The inhabitants whom we met with here, had little^ of
that fierce or wild appearance common to people in their
fituation ; but, on the contrary, Teemed mild and cheerful,.
without referve or jealoufy of ftrangers. This, however,
may arife from their having little to lofe or care for.