Upon these mangroves also we saw small green caterpillars in great numbers:  Their bodies were thick set with hairs, and they were ranged upon the leaves side by side like a file of soldiers, to the number of twenty or thirty together:  When we touched them, we found that the hair of their bodies had the quality of a nettle, and gave us a much more acute, though less durable pain.  The country here is manifestly worse than about Botany Bay:  The soil is dry and sandy, but the sides of the hills are covered with trees, which grow separately, without underwood.  We found here the tree that yields a gum like the sanguis draconis; but it is somewhat different from the trees of the same kind which we had seen before, for the leaves are longer, and hang down like those of the weeping willow.[76] We found also much less gum upon them, which is contrary to the established opinion, that the hotter the climate, the more gums exude.  Upon a plant also which yielded a yellow gum, there was less than upon the same kind of plant in Botany Bay.  Among the shoals and sandbanks we saw many large birds, some in particular of the same kind that we had seen in Botany Bay, much bigger than swans, which we judged to be pelicans; but they were so shy that we could not get within gun-shot of them.  Upon the shore we saw a species of the bustard, one of which we shot; it was as large as a turkey, and weighed seventeen pounds and a half.  We all agreed that this was the best bird we had eaten since we left England; and in honour of it we called this inlet Bustard Bay.  It lies in latitude 24 deg. 4’, longitude 208 deg. 18’.  The sea seemed to abound with fish; but unhappily, we tore our seine all to pieces at the first haul:  Upon the mud banks, under the mangroves, we found innumerable oysters of various kinds; among others the hammer-oyster, and a large proportion of small pearl-oysters:  If in deeper water there is equal plenty of such oysters at their full growth, a pearl fishery might certainly be established here to very great advantage.

[Footnote 75:  For some remarks on these creatures, see the Section which treats of this country in general,—­E.]

[Footnote 76:  There are several trees which yield a resinous substance, resembling what is called dragon’s blood, as the Pterocarpus draco, the Dracaena draco, the Calamus draco, the Dalbergia monetaria, &c.  Some observations on the botany of New Holland are reserved for a future page.—­E.]

The people who were left on board the ship said, that while we were in the woods about twenty of the natives came down to the beach, abreast of her, and having looked at her some time, went away; but we that were ashore, though we saw smoke in many places, saw no people:  The smoke was at places too distant for us to get to them by land, except one, to which we repaired.  We found ten small fires still burning within a few paces of each other; but the people were gone:  We saw near them several vessels of bark,