1773.
April.
able acquisition of new birds, and plants. We had a young dog with us at this time, which the officers had taken on board at the Cape of Good Hope, and intended to try, whether we could not train him up to the gun: but we had no sooner discharged the first fowling-piece, than he ran into the woods, and would not return, though we used all possible means to recover him. Captain Cook likewise took the opportunity of the fair weather, to examine different parts of the bay; and touched at a little rock, near our first anchoring place, which had already at that time acquired the name of Seal-rock, from the animals that came to sleep upon it. Here he found a number of seals, and killed three of them, among which one afforded him great sport: for having been repeatedly wounded, it became quite furious, and attacked the boat, where it was at last killed. It weighed 220 pounds, was about six feet long, and very lean. After he had passed several isles, he reached the north-west part of the bay, formed by the land of Point Five-fingers: there, at the bottom of a fine cove, he found a great variety of aquatic birds, of which he killed and brought on board a considerable number.
Another rainy pause of three days followed this excursion, confining us to our ship, where a sort of little crane-flies (tipula alis incumbentibus), which had plagued us ever since our entrance into Dusky Bay, became remarkably troublesome during the bad weather. They were numerous in theskirts
