Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0171
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[Page 171]
167.
Some account of New Zealand
Both which we eat & accounted good food especialy the former which are not at all inferior to those of Europe beside these there are hawks & owls & Quails differing but little at first sight from those of Europe & several small birds that sing much more melodiously than any I have heard in Europe the Sea Coast is also frequently visited by many Oceanick birds as Albatrosses Shearwaters Pintados &c. & has also a few of the birds calld by Sr Jho. Narbourough Penguins which are certainly truly what the French call Nuance between birds & fishes as their feathers especialy on their wings differ but little from Scales & their wings themselves which they use only in diving & by no means in atempting to fly or even accelerate their motion on the surface of the water (as young birds are observd to do) might thence almost as properly be calld fins
[Margin note] Insects
Neither are insects in greater plenty than birds a few Butterflys & Beetles, flesh flies very like those in Europe, &Musquetos, & sandflies maybe exactly the same as those of North america make up the whole list of these last however which are most justly accounted the curse of any countrey where they abound we never met with any great abundance a few indeed there were in almost every place we went into but never enough to make any occupations