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Dampier, William, 1652-1715

"A Voyage to New Holland"

Some of these trees were
sweet-scented, and reddish within the bark, like the sassafras, but
redder. Most of the trees and shrubs had at this time either blossoms or
berries on them. The blossoms of the different sort of trees were of
several colours, as red, white, yellow, etc., but mostly blue: and these
generally smelt very sweet and fragrant, as did some also of the rest.
There were also beside some plants, herbs, and tall flowers, some very
small flowers, growing on the ground, that were sweet and beautiful, and
for the most part unlike any I had seen elsewhere.
A PARTICULAR SORT OF IGUANA: FISH, AND BEAUTIFUL SHELLS; TURTLE, LARGE
SHARK, AND WATER-SERPENTS.
There were but few land-fowls; we saw none but eagles of the larger sorts
of birds; but 5 or 6 sorts of small birds. The biggest sort of these were
not bigger than larks; some no bigger than wrens, all singing with great
variety of fine shrill notes; and we saw some of their nests with young
ones in them. The water-fowls are ducks (which had young ones now, this
being the beginning of the spring in these parts) curlews, galdens,
crab-catchers, cormorants, gulls, pelicans; and some waterfowl, such as I
have not seen anywhere besides.


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