novelty or beauty: they were the fly-catcher and creeper, like thoſe of New Zealand; a bird, reſembling the ſmall mocking bird, of the ſame iſland; a black hawk, ſomewhat larger than our ſparrow hawks, and a bird of the ſize and ſhape of our black-bird. Ringdoves, of a duſky plumage, were ſeen in the greateſt number: they ſeldom approached the ſea till ſun-ſet, when they took their flight to the Weſtward, and at ſun-riſe returned to the Eaſtward; ſo that if there is any water on the iſle, I ſhould ſuppoſe it would be found in that part. Beſides, it is the higheſt land, and a ſmall quantity of water, lodged in the hollow of a rock, would ſupply theſe birds for a conſiderable time. My ſecond viſit, to theſe iſles confirmed, my ſuppoſition, as ſmall oozings, were then found, at the foot of two or three hills, which may be occaſioned by pools of rain water collected on the tops of them, as is frequently ſeen on the North Weſt coaſt of America. An officer and party, whom I ſent to travel inland, ſaw many ſpots, which had very lately contained freſh water, and about which, the land tortoiſes appeared to be pining in great numbers. Several of them, were ſeen within land, as well as on the ſea coaſt, which, if they had been in fleſh, would have weighed three hundred weight, but were now ſcarcely one third of their full ſize.
