Series 03: Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 (vol. 2) - No. 0324
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[Page 324]
220
Endeavours River
15. The Beast which was killd yesterday was today Dressd for our dinners & provd excellent meat in the Evening the Boat returnd from the reef bringing 4 Turtles, so we may now be said to swim in Plenty our Turtles are certainly far preferable to any I have eat in England which must proceed from their being eat fresh from the sea before they have either wasted away their fat, or by unatural food which is given them in the tubs where they are kept given themselves a fat of not so delicious a flavour as it is in their wild state. Most of those we have caught have been Green turtle from 2 to 300 lb weight these when killd were always found to be full of Turtle Grass (a kind of Conferva I beleive) two only were Loggerheads they which were but indifferent meat in their stomachs were nothing but shells
16. As the ship was now nearly ready for her departure Dr Solander & myself employd ourselves in winding up our Botanical Bottoms examining what we wanted & making up our complement of specimens of as many species as possible. the Boat brought 3 Turtle again today one of