which
appeared like another head; but not really such, being without mouth or
eyes: yet this creature seemed by this means to have a head at each end;
and, which may be reckoned a fourth difference, the legs also seemed all
4 of them to be forelegs, being all alike in shape and length, and
seeming by the joints and bending to be made as if they were to go
indifferently either head or tail foremost. They were speckled black and
yellow like toads, and had scales or knobs on their backs like those of
crocodiles, plated onto the skin, or stuck into it, as part of the skin.
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., the shore was lined thick with many other
sorts of very strange and beautiful shells, for variety of colour and
shape, most finely spotted with red, black, or yellow, etc., such as I
have not seen anywhere but at this place. I brought away a great many of
them; but lost all except a very few, and those not of the best.

There are also some green-turtle weighing about 200 pounds. Of these we
caught 2 which the water ebbing had left behind a ledge of rock, which
they could not creep over. These served all my company 2 days; and they
were indifferent sweet meat. Of the sharks we caught a great many which
our men eat very savourily. Among t