[At Anchor, Endeavour River]
25th. Fresh gales at South-East and fair weather. In the
evening the Yawl came in, having not been able to Strike one Turtle on
account of the blowing weather, nor can we catch much fish with the Sean
in the Harbour.
26th. Winds and weather as Yesterday. Such people as can be
spared from the necessary Dutys of the Ship are employ'd fishing and
gathering greens and other refreshments.
27th. Very fresh Gales at South-East by South and fair weather.
A.M., caught as much fish as served 3/4 pounds a man, and Mr. Gore shott
one of the Animals before spoke of, which weighed 80 pounds and 54
pounds, exclusive of the entrails, Skin, and head; this was as large as
the most we have seen.
25th.
The Captn who was up the river today found the Canoe belonging to our freinds the Indians, which it seems they had left tied to some mangroves within a mile of the ship: themselves we could see by their fires were 5 or 6 miles off from us directly inland.
26th.
In botanizing to day I had the good fortune to take an animal of the Opossum (Didelphis) tribe: it was a female and with it I took two young ones. It was not unlike that remarkable one which De Bufon has decribd by the name of Phalanger as an American animal; it was however not the same for De Buffon is certainly wrong in asserting that this tribe is peculiar to America; and in all probability, as Pallas has said in his Zoologia, the Phalanger itself is a native of the East Indies, as my animal and that agree in the extrordinary conformation of their feet in which particular they differ from all the others.
27th.
This day was dedicated to hunting the wild animal. We saw several and had the good fortune to kill a very large one which weighd 84 lb.
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