The inhabitants of this island were all of the feathered tribe, and the chief of these was the ganet, of which there were prodigious numbers, and it should seem that this is the time of their incubation, the females being all on their nests:  these are places simply hollowed in the sand, there not being a single quadruped that could be found upon the island to disturb them.  The people brought numbers of their eggs on board.  Very large pigeons were also met with in great plenty; likewise beautiful parrots and parroquets; a new species, apparently, of the coote, and also of the rail, and magpie; and a most beautiful small bird, brown, with a yellow breast and yellow on the wing; it seemed to be a species of humming bird:  there was also a black bird, like a sheerwater, with a hooked bill, which burrows in the ground.  Numbers of ants were seen, which appeared the only insect at this place, except the common earth worm.  The soil is of a sandy nature, and fresh water extremely scarce in those places which they had an opportunity of examining.

This island is well covered with wood, the chief of which is the large and dwarf mangrove, the bamboo, and the cabbage tree.  The different vegetables met with were scurvy grass, wild celery, spinach, endive, and samphire.

31 May 1788

From the mean of all their observations they found this island to be situated in 31 deg.. 30’. 49”. south latitude, and by comparing their lunar observations with those of Lieutenant Ball, they found its longitude to be 159 deg.. 10’. 00”. east of Greenwich.  The mean state of the thermometer, during their short stay, was 66 deg.. and the variation of the compass, by many observations, was found to be 10 deg.. east.  In the afternoon the pinnace was hoisted in, and they made sail to the eastward with a fresh breeze at south-west.  Nothing material occurred till the 31st, when about three o’clock in the afternoon they saw two islands, one bearing north-east, half east, seven leagues, and the other east by south, about six leagues distant.  Not having an opportunity of getting well in with the land before night came on, they plied occasionally under an easy sail, and at day-light next morning [1 June 1788] made sail and bore up for it.  On approaching the southernmost land, they found it to form two barren isles, separated by a channel about a quarter of a mile over, and apparently free from danger:  the north island lies in a north half east direction from these, and about five leagues distant.  At noon, the body of the north island bore north-east by north three miles distant:  their latitude at that time was 30 deg.. 11’. south, and the longitude by lunar observation 180 deg.. 58’. 37”. east.  At one o’clock they bore round the west end of the island, and hove to near the center of it, about a mile off shore.  They were in hopes, from the appearance of the island at a distance, that they should have found it productive of something beneficial to the people, (the scurvy