They were, in general, so tame, or rather stupid, as to suffer us to come near enough to knock them down with sticks; but the large ones we shot, not thinking it safe to approach them.  We also found on the island abundance of penguins and shags; and the latter had young ones almost fledged, and just to our taste.  Here were geese and ducks, but not many; birds of prey, and a few small birds.  In the evening we returned on board, our boats well laden with one thing or other.[4]

[Footnote 4:  “Having made some havock among the sea-lions, we walked upon the summit of the island, which was nearly level, but covered with innumerable little mounds of earth, on each of which grew a large tuft of grass (dactylis glomerata).  The intervals between these tufts were very muddy and dirty, which obliged us to leap from one tuft to another.  We soon discovered that another kind of seals occupied this part of the island, and caused the mud by coming out of the sea.  These were no other than the sea-bears which we had already seen at Dusky Bay, but which were here infinitely more numerous, and grown to a much larger size, equalling that assigned to them by Steller.  They are, however, far inferior to the sea-lions, the males being never above eight or nine feet long, and thick in proportion.  Their hair is dark-brown, minutely sprinkled with grey, and much longer on the whole body than that of the sea-lion, but does not form a mane.  The general outline of the body, and the shape of the fins, are exactly the same.  They were more fierce towards us, and their females commonly died in defence of their young.  We observed on another occasion, that these two species, though sometimes encamped on the same beach, always kept at a great distance asunder, and had no communication.  A strong rank stench is common to them, as well as to all other seals; a circumstance as well known to the ancients, as their inactivity and drowsiness whilst they lie on shore—­

   Web-footed seals forsake the whitening waves,
   And sleep in herds, exhaling nauseous stench. 
   Homer.

Great numbers of a species of vultures, commonly called carrion crows by the sailors (vultur aura), were seen upon this island, and probably feed on young seal-cubs, which either die in the birth, or which they take an opportunity to seize upon.  Besides them we also found a new species of hawks, and several geese of the sort which had so well furnished out our Christmas entertainment.  Here we likewise saw a few penguins, of a species which we had not met with before, some large petrels of the size of albatrosses, being the same species which the Spaniards name que-branta-huessos, or the bone-breakers, and some shags.”—­G.F.]