R i f iff
f f :|
I llfl I
Milli
E n d r a c h t ’ s
L a n d .
S h a r k s B a y .
'S e a S n a k e s ,
Ä Y 0 S E T T A .
K a n g a r o o *
tween a clufter o f iflands. From Rofemary iflands, a difcovery
of his in, Lat. 20° 50', the land turns- foutherly. Endracbl's Land ,
lies j-uft under the tropic of Capricorn, difcovered, according, to-,
Hazvkefwort/Ss map, in 1616.
Diri Harlag iflands and Sharks bay are in Lat. 25°... The;
land fo high as to be feen nine or ten--leagues. diftatìt. It bore;
neither ihrubs or trees above ten feet1 high. The prognoftics of.
the approach of land were a fort o f grey tern as big as a lap-,
wing, and like that bird flapping its wings. The eyes encircled'
with black, the bill red, the tail-forked..
S e a fnakes appeared in great abundance ; one fpecies was four,
feet long, yellow, with a flat tail, four fingers broad.
T h e o t h e r w a s fm a l l e r , a n d r o u n d , fp o t t e d w i t h b la c k - a n d y e l - .
k> w . Dampier f a w o th e r s v e r y lo n g a n d f l e n d e r , o th e r s a s t h i c k ,
a s a m a n ’s l e g , w i t h a r e d h e a d . T h i s r em in d s m e , o f t h e fp e c i e s
d e f c r ib e d b y Arrian, in h i s Per-ipbus Maris Er-ytbrcei, to w h i c h
h e g i v e s b l a c k ik i n s , a n d b lo o d - r e d e y e s . I d a r e f a y his- a c c o u n t
is ju f t , o n ly h i s in f o rm e r c o n f in e d t h e c o lo r o f t h e h e a d t o t h e
e y e s .
O n land was an Avofetta with the head and neck red ; and a
iéa pie exailly refembling ours,, only thofe parts, were totally
black. -
Dampier jf alfo difcovered a fpecies o f Hangaroo-ian animal with
very Ihort fore legs, which it went jumping on ;' but his Guana
was an horrible animal, too difgufting even for him to eat, who
had been ufed to food of all forts,.as fnakes,- alligators, and.cro-
codiles, fo offenfive was this in look and fmell ; his defcription
.is fo forcible, that we may well give him full credit, “ At the
VoyViii'. p. 85.
* rumpr
fr fump, inftead of the tail there, they had a flump of a tail, HoimatE
<• which appeared like another head; but not really fuch, being-
<i without mouth or eyes ; yet this creature feemed by this-means'-
i to have a head at each end; and which* may be reckoned a-
« fourth difference, the legs alfodeemed all four of them to- be*
<s fore-legs,-being all alike in ihape and length,.andfeeming, b y
f| the joints and bending, fo be made as-if they were- to go in-r
« differently either head or tail foremoft.- They were fpeckled-
(t blaCk and'yellow Idee toads, artd had fcales or knobs on their
t, backs like thofe o f crocodiles; plated on to the ikin, or ftuck
« into it as part of the fkin. They are very flow in motion, and
tt - when a man comes-nigh them', they will ftand ftill and hiis,.
« not endeavouring to get away. Their livers are alfo fpotted*
« black and yellow-; and the body when opened- has a very un-
« favoury fmell.”
I h a v e little doubt but that this is the horrible ahimaf figured*
By Seba * under the name o f Salamandra vera Seu Gekko Cey-
hnicus. He defcribes it as moft dreadfully venomous, even fo as1
to infeCt the very waters, to fuch a degree,- as to poifon any:
perfon-Who is ib unfort unatc-to■ drink of them.
H e * found Here* green turtle weighing two-hundred founds ?
and abundance of- large fharks, from which he gave name to the
bay,-. In the maw o f one he difcovered what he calls the head
of a Hippopotamus -, the hairy lips were found; and two of the
teeth he pulled out were eight inches long, and a little crooked ;
the reft only four. I muft queftion whether this was the real
Hippopotamus, or the Dugon ?
f Mufi Vol. i. tab, 108/
GoSfMODORH^"