Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0273
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[Page 273]
269
May 1770 Bustard Bay
sat upon the leaves many together rangd by the side of each other like soldiers drawn up 20 or 30 perhaps upon one leaf if these wrathfull militia were touchd but ever so gently they did not fail to make the person offending them sensible of their anger every hair in them stinging much as nettles do but with a more acute tho less lasting smart
upon the sides of the hills were many of the trees yeilding a gum like Sanguis draconis they differd however from those seen in the last harbour in having their leaves longer & hanging down like those of the weeping willow tho notwithstanding that I beleive that they were of the same species there was however much less gum upon them only one tree that I saw had any upon it contrary to all theory which teaches that the hotter a climate is the more gums exsude the same observation however held good in the plant yeilding the Yellow gum of which tho we saw vast numbers we did not see any that shewd signs of gum.
On the shoals & sand banks near the shore of the bay were many large birds far larger than swans which we judg'd to be Pelicans but they were so shy that we could not get within gunshot of them on the shore were many birds one species of Bustard of which we shot a single bird as large as a good