Black snakes with the venomous fangs were numerous upon the edges of the
brush. The rocks toward the sea were covered with fur-seals of great
beauty. This species of seal seemed to approach nearest to that named by
naturalists the Falkland Island Seal.
'In point of animated life nature seems (says Mr. Bass) to have acted so
oddly with this and the neighbouring islands, that if their rich stores
were thoroughly ransacked, I doubt not but the departments of natural
history would be enlarged by more new and valuable specimens than they
ever before acquired from any land of many times their extent.'
CHAPTER XV
The _Norfolk_ proceeds on her voyage
The Swan Isles; why so named
Waterhouse Isle
Discover Port Dalrymple
Account of the country within it
Natural productions
Animals
Sagacity and numbers of the black swan
Inhabitants; inferior to those of the continent
Range of the thermometer
Pass Table Cape
Circular head
Three Hummock Island
Albatross Island
Hunter's Isles
Proceed to the southward and westward
Leaving Furneaux's Islands, the _Norfolk_ proceeded toward the North
coast of Van Diemen's land; and on the 1st of November she anchored for a
tide at the largest of the Swan isles, two small islands so named by
Lieutenant Flinders, when he was here in the _Francis_, because a
European who belonged to the _Sydney Cove_ had assured him that he
had met with vast numbers of breeding swans upon them.
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