Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/372

 354 have had some losses among my sheep over the hills, supposed to be owing to the sudden spring of young grass. They appear affected by internal inflammation. Dogs which eat the flesh go mad. The lambing also has not been so successful there this year as usual. A person has just been requesting me to give him some information about the native language. I find the little smattering I have of it very useful on many occasions, as it enables me to know what they are saying to the interpreter on their trial.

July 5th.—A native dog attacked the flock to-day in broad daylight, singling out a fine lamb and hunting it down. The boys were not with the flock at the moment, but I happened to be in the neighbourhood and saw the dog gnawing at the neck, having eaten the head off. A number of crows were discussing the head at a little distance off. I have put nux vomica into pieces of the lungs and spleen, and laid them out very invitingly. I hope he will accept my invitation. He carried off another duck the night before last. J— has now got a lot of wheat to dispose of; he is actually selling it at 20s. a bushel. I am paying 1s. 6d. a bushel for threshing wheat. I tried to-day the plan of ploughing wheat into the ground. The crows will not get at it so readily. They are very destructive. We hire natives, if we can, to walk about and keep them off.

July I6th.—The Governor returned in the beginning of last week from his expedition, greatly pleased with the country he had seen at Leschenhault, especially on the upper part of the Collie River. An American whaler was in the port when he was there. They have got a fine Yankee story to tell about a shark 30 feet long, which got entangled in the buoy rope attached to the anchor, and by its exertions actually weighed it and let the ship go adrift, to their no small consternation, until they discovered the cause. Many people saw the occurrence. The shark was eventually caught, and 37 gallons of oil procured from its liver. Mr. S. N. Talbot,