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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

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