Page:Colnett - Voyage to the South Pacific (IA cihm 33242).djvu/81

 but from the evergreen trees and plants, uch as the box and the prickly pear, with the torch thitle, and the mangrove. The middle of the ile is low land, and at a very mall ditance has the appearance of being divided into two parts, particularly on the South ide. On the Wetern part of the bay, in which we anchored, the land is barren and rocky; in ome parts, it has the appearance of being covered with cinders; and in others, with a kind of iron clinker, in flakes of everal feet in circumference, and from one to three inches thick: in paing over them, they ound like plates of iron: the earth is alo frequently rent in cracks, that run irregularly from Eat to Wet and are many fathoms deep: there were alo large caves, and on the tops of every hill, which we acended, was the mouth of a pit, whoe depth mut be immene, from the length of time, during which, a tone, that was thrown into it, was heard. Many of the cavities on the ides of the hills, as well as on the level ground, contained water, but of uch a brackih tate, as to render it unfit to be drank. In mot of them, there were coniderable flocks of teals, which were by no means hy, and were eaily caught; they are of the ame kind as thoe known in England.

This iland contains no great number, or variety, of land birds, and thoe I aw, were not remarkable for their