They are very slow in motion; and when a man comes nigh them they will
stand still and hiss, not endeavouring to get away. Their livers are also
spotted black and yellow: and the body when opened has a very unsavoury
smell. I did never see such ugly creatures anywhere but here. The iguanas
I have observed to be very good meat: and I have often eaten of them with
pleasure; but though I have eaten of snakes, crocodiles and alligators,
and many creatures that look frightfully enough, and there are but few I
should have been afraid to eat of if pressed by hunger, yet I think my
stomach would scarce have served to venture upon these New Holland
iguanas, both the looks and the smell of them being so offensive.
The sea-fish that we saw here (for here was no river, land, or pond of
fresh water to be seen) are chiefly sharks. There are abundance of them
in this particular sound, and I therefore give it the name of Shark's
Bay. Here are also skates, thornbacks, and other fish of the ray kind
(one sort especially like the sea-devil) and garfish, bonetas, etc. Of
shellfish we got here mussels, periwinkles, limpets, oysters, both of the
pearl kind and also eating-oysters, as well the common sort as long
oysters; beside cockles, etc.
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