Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/61

Rh on the hills, made by the natives for the double purpose of burning off the dry grass and of hunting the kangaroos, which are thus forced to fly from the woods, and thereby fall an easy prey to their pursuers.

The next day at noon, Kent's Group, in the eastern entrance of Bass' Strait, was seen; but, at one o'clock, the wind shifted suddenly and blew a gale from S.W., with heavy rain: after beating,against it until the following day, we bore up and ran under the lee of Great Island. intending to pass round Van Diemen's Land: at five o'clock, we passed close to the Babel Islands, on which were heaped incredible numbers of sea-birds of various descriptions, each species huddled together in flocks separate from the other. On another part of the island many seals were seen, by the growl of which, and the discordant screams of the birds, a strange confused noise was made, not ill adapted to the name the island bears.

By the following day, we had made some progress along the eastern side of Van Diemen's Land, but in the evening, the wind shifted to S. E., and induced us to try the Strait once more. In passing the low north easternmost point, of the land, called by the French, Cape Naturalist, we had nearly run ashore from the darkness of the