1792 February

Saturday 18 Very Strong Gales at WSW, and in the afternoon very hard Squalls with heavy Rain, so that the whole day our Work was considerable labour to us, and most of the people Wet and uncomfortable. Some Snow lay on the Table Land during the whole day, so unfavourable is the Season.
At Night I gave all hands an additional allowance of Wine. Getting on board Wood and Water and completing the Holds, kept every person employed, and from the strong Surf on the Shore we were obliged to go full 300 Yards further back to take the Water up, to avoid what was brackish. Bright intervals in the Forenoon induced me to endeavour to make some Astronomical Observations, but I was not able to complete a single set, except the Morning's Azimuths.

We saw Smokes nearer to us about the low land of Frederick Henry, than has been yet observed.

I have every day intended to go round into the Bay of Frederick Henry in the Assistant, but the Weather is so bad that I cannot do it with propriety, and my time now makes it doubtfull if I can accomplish it.

Among the Wood cut in East Cove is a kind called Snake Wood. It is remarkable in its growth by the grain growing in a Wave like . It is used in finearing[?] & was accidentally discovered by one of our People having heard of it at home, & desired to look after it. I could only find that one Tree of it was cutt down. About 2 feet of the Trunk was preserved, which is a foot Diameter. It is a light colour. Unfortunately from burning the branches, we could not find the Leaf of the Tree; but it is certainly one of the Metrocidera kind.

Our Carpenter knocked down an Animal to day called, by the Seamen, a Gally Wasp. It is like an overgrown Lizard, except in its colour which is blackish, spotted with a dull yellow. Its length 17 Inches of which the Tail is 6. It crawls as a Lizard, the belly touching the Ground, has four feet with 5 small claws to each. The Head is flat with a large mouth, but the teeth scarcely discernable, the tongue is thick & of a blue colour. This creature I think is common the Coast of America. Lieut. Guthrie in an excursion to day killed an animal of a very odd form. It was 17 Inches long and the same size round the Shoulders, to which, rather a small flat head is connected so close, that It can scarcelyh be said to have a Neck. It has no mouth like any other animal, but a kind of Duck Bill 2 Inches long which opens at the extremity where it will not admit above the Size of a small Pistol Ball. The tongue is very small. It has four legs which carry the belly about an Inch or two from the Ground, and on each fore foot it has three very strong Claws an Inch long, and two, about a quarter of an Inch. On the Hind feet, it has the same number, but they form more like the thumb and fingers of a hand, except that the fore Claw is the longest and curved. The Eyes are remarkably small, and lie just above the beak. It has no Tail, but a rump not unlike that of a Pengwin, on which are some quills about an Inch long as strong and like those of a Porcupine. These Quills or Prickles are all over its back amidst a thick coat of rusty brown hair; but the belly is of a light greyish colour. The Skin is remarkably white.

Near our Fires, we had little Birds like our Robins, (except the want of a Red breast,) that visited us as domestically as in England. Severl Crows have been Shot, Parroquets of two kinds, large & small, and a Heron the same as described at Port Jackson. A variety of small Birds.