pices, on which the master of the herd posted himself fronting the enemy, the rest of the goats being all behind, where the ground was more open, As this spot was inaccessible by any other path, except where this champion had placed himself, the dogs, though they ran up the hill with great alacrity, yet, when they came within about twenty yards of him, did not dare to encounter him, as he would infallibly have driven them down the precipice. They therefore desisted, and giving over the the chace, quietly laid themselves down, panting for breath.-There are but few birds, and those chiefly hawks, blackbirds, owls, and humming-birds.

Upon this island are great numbers of seals and sea-lions: the latter has some resemblance to a seal, but is much larger, and its flesh has some re semblance to that of beef. When full-grown, they are from twelve to twenty feet in length, and from eight to fifteen in circumference; and so extremely fat, that, having cut through the skin, which is about an inch in thickness, there is at least a foot of fat, before you come at either lean or bones. They are also very full of blood; for, if they are deeply wounded in a dozen places, there will instantly gush out as many fountains of blood, spouting to a considerable distance. Their skins are covered with short hair of a light dun-colour; but their tails and their fins, which on shore serve them for feet, are almost black; these fins are divided at the ends like fingers, the web which joins them not reaching to the extremities; and each of these fingers is furnished with a nail. The head, which is small, in proportion to the rest of the body, terminates in a snout, and they have whiskers like those of a cat, with small eyes and

ears; and the nostrils, which are also very small, are the only parts destitute of hair. In each jaw they have a row of large pointed teeth. The males have a large snout or trunk hanging down five feet six inches below the end of the upper jaw, which the females have not; and this renders it easy to distinguish the sexes; and besides the males are much the largest. These animals divide their time equally between the sea and land, continuing at sea all the summer, and coming on shore at the setting in of winter, where they reside during that whole season. In this interval,

they ingender, and bring forth their young, hav ing generally two at a birth, which they suckle with their milk, they being at first about the size of a full-grown seal. While the sea lions continue on shore, they feed on the grass and verdure, that grows near the banks of the freshwater streams; and, when not employed in feeding, sleep in herds, in the most miry places they can find. As they are of a lethargic disposition, and not easily awakened, each herd places some of the males at a distance, which never fail to alarm them, when any one attempts to molest, or even to approach them ; which they do by making a very loud noise, sometimes grunting like hogs, and at others snorting like horses in full vigour. The males have often furious battles, when they gore each other with their teeth, and cover one another with blood. The author of lord Anson's voyage takes notice of one whom he says they named the bashaw, he generally lying surrounded with a number of females, which no other male dared approach; but he had not acquired that envied pre-eminence without many bloody

1

contests, as appeared from the numerous scars visible in every part of his body.

The bay is most plentifully stored with the greatest variety of fish, particularly cod of a prodigious size, which are no less numerous than on the banks of Newfoundland; also large bream, silver-fish, cavallies, gropers, maids, a black fish much esteemed, called by some the chimneysweeper, in shape resembling a carp; excellent cray-fish, that generally weigh eight or nine pounds, and are of an exquisite taste; besides congers of a peculiar kind, large sharks and dogfish.

Some authors say there are snakes in Barbadoes about a yard long, which will climb the walls of a dairy, enter the windows, skim the milk, and so return back again, but never bite any body. The most offensive insect in the island is the cockroach, which is a large long fly, of a chocolate hue, that lays a long egg of a brown. duskish colour, quite flat at each end, so that it looks like a bit of a small stick. This egg is glutinous, and will adhere to any thing, where it remains till the heat of the weather produces the young; and the singularity of it lies in its numerous brood, one single egg affording about twenty flies. A gentleman put one into a glass phial, and kept it there till it produced thirty young ones, which were of a whitish colour. This fly does not bite like a gnat, but lights upon any part of the body in the evening, at which time it is particularly troublesome.-There is also an insect called merry-wings, much like our gnats; and that mischievous one called a chege, as well as various sorts of ants, especially woodants, which destroy the timber in houses. These

ants are white, and, when squeezed, there issues a soft matter of the same colour.-The mastich fly, so called from its living upon the mastichtree, is said to be so fragrant as to perfume the air, as it flies along. It is supposed to destroy the tree by a sort of rasp in its bill, with which it makes thousands of holes, and leaves the wood it consumes under the tree like saw-dust.

The neighbouring sea abounds with most sorts of fish, besides the green turtle, which is extremely delicious. The parrot-fish, when come to maturity, will weigh twenty pounds, is well-tasted, and has scales like a carp; it is of a green colour, has sharp strong jaws, but no teeth, and feeds chiefly on other fish. The land crabs, though not peculiar to Barbadoes, but found in most of the neighbouring islands, may as well be described here, since they are common in that country.

The land crab has a smooth entire thorax, and the two last joints of its feet armed with spines, They are of various sizes, the largest about six inches wide: they walk sideways like the seacrab, and are shaped like them; but they differ considerably in colour; some being black, some yellow, some red, and others variegated with red, white, and yellow mixed. Some of these are poisonous, and several people have died by eating them, particularly the black kind. The light coloured are reckoned best; and when full of flesh, are very well tasted. In some of the sugar islands they are eaten without danger; and are no small help to the negro siaves, who would frequently fare very hard without them.

These animals live not only in a kind of orderly society in their retreats among the mountains, but regularly once a year march down to the sea

VOL. X.

side, in a body of some millions at a time. As they multiply in great numbers, they choose the month of April or May to begin their expedition; and then sally out by thousands from the stumps of hollow trees, from the clefts of rocks, and from the holes which they dig for themselves under the surface of the earth. At that time the whole ground is covered with this band of adventurers, insomuch that a person cannot set down his foot without treading upon them. The sea is their place of destination, and to that they direct their march with the utmost precision. No geometrician could send them to their destined station by a shorter course, for they neither turn to the right nor left, whatever obstacles may intervene; and even if they meet with a house, they will attempt to scale the walls, to keep the unbroken tenor of their way. But, though this be the general order of their route, they, upon other occasions, are obliged to con form to the face of the country; and if it is intersected with rivers, they are then seen to wind along the course of the stream.

The procession sets forward from the mountains with the regularity of an army under an experienced commander. They are commonly divided into three battalions; of which the first consists of the strongest and boldest males, who, like pioneers, march forward to clear the route, and face the greatest dangers. They are often obliged to halt for want of rain, and to go into the most convenient encampment till the weather changes. The main body of the army is composed of fe males, which never leave the mountains till the rain is set in for some time, and then descend in regular battalia, being formed into columns of