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Two hauls with the seine producing only four small fish, we, in some measure, made up for this deficiency, by shooting several birds, which the flowers in the garden had drawn thither, as also some old shags, and by robbing the nests of some young ones. Being little wind next morning, we weighed and warped the ship into the Cove, and there moored with the two bowers.
Before leaving the river, Banks gives some notes as to the country, and puts it down as "in every respect the most barren country we have yet seen." Amongst the birds, several kinds of duck, shags, pelicans, crows, and flock pigeons, all, with the exception of the last, difficult to shoot.
We also found on the island abundance of penguins and shags; and the latter had young ones almost fledged, and just to our taste. Here were geese and ducks, but not many; birds of prey, and a few small birds. In the evening we returned on board, our boats well laden with one thing or other. 1775 January
"Damn!" said White. Doe, flushed and dishevelled, picked himself out of his chair. "That's what comes of bullying, Moles White. I'll pay for it. It was my beastly fault!" "No, you won't," said White. "Don't presume to contradict me, Moles White, or I'll lick you! I have stated that I'll pay for it." "No," White decided. "We'll split the difference and go shags."
"How long must we keep this up, Shags?" asked Scraps, who was constantly tripping and tumbling down, only to get up again with a laugh at her mishap. "Just a little way farther," replied the Shaggy Man. A few minutes later he called to them to turn about quickly and step forward, and as they obeyed the order they found themselves treading solid ground.
So Scraps and Ojo picked up all the quills and tied them in a bundle so they might easily be carried. After this the Shaggy Man released Chiss and let him go, knowing that he was harmless to injure anyone. "It's the meanest trick I ever heard of," muttered the porcupine gloomily. "How would you like it, Shaggy Man, if I took all your shags away from you?"
We have seen all these animals mix together, like domestic cattle and poultry in a farm-yard, without one attempting to molest the other. Nay, I have often observed the eagles and vultures sitting on the hillocks among the shags, without the latter, either young or old, being disturbed at their presence. It may be asked how these birds of prey live?
But the story must be reserved for another time, until we are able to do justice to it. At last the Lily is lying right off the beach of Te Pahi township, and her whistle is echoing among the woods on the ranges above, scaring the shags, kingfishers, and rock-snipe on the oyster-beds and beaches.
When this was done we descended the hill, and made a comfortable meal of the shags and fish which our guns and lines had procured us, and which were dressed by the boat's crew in a place that we had appointed: In this place we found another Indian family, who received us, as usual, with strong expressions of kindness and pleasure, shewing us where to procure water, and doing us such other good offices as were in their power.
The Shags appear to breed rather earlier than the Herring Gulls; when I was in the Islands in June, 1876, almost all the Shags had hatched, and the young were standing by their parents on the rocks close to their nests.
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