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An. 1683
Snapper Fish and Rock Fish.
is black, and of a course grain, yet indifferent good food. They will lye a week at a time ashore if not disturbed. Where $3$, or $4$, or more of them come ashore together, they huddle one on another like Swine, and grunt like them, making a hideous noise. They eat Fish; which I believe is their com- mon food.
The Snapper is a Fish made much like a Roach, but a great deal bigger. It hath a large Head and Mouth, and great Gills. The Back is of a bright Red, the Belly of a Silver-colour: The Scales are as broad as a Shilling. The Snapper is excellent meat. They are in many places in the West-Indies, and the South-Seas: I have not seen them any where beside.
The Rock-fish is called by Sea-men a Grooper: the Spaniards call it a Baccalao, which is the name for Cod ; because it is much like it. It is rounder than the Snapper, of a dark brown colour ; and hath small Scales no bigger than a Silver-penny. This Fish is good sweet meat, and is found in great plen- ty on all the Coast of Peru and Chili.
There are only two Bays in the whole Island where Ships may Anchor; these are both at the East end, and in both of them is a Rivolet of good fresh Water. Either of these Bays may be fortified with little charge, to that degree, that $50$ men in each may be able to keep off $1000$; and there is no coming into these Bays from the West end, but with great difficulty, over the Mountains, where if $3$ men are placed, they may keep down as many as come against them on any side. This was partly ex- perienced by $5$ Englishmen that Captain Davis left here, who defended themselves against a great bo- dy of Spaniards who landed in the Bays, and came here to destroy them; and though the second time one of their Consorts deserted and fled to the Spa- niards, yet the other $4$ kept their ground, and were afterward taken in from hence by Captain Strong of London.
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