I excused him his transgressions.

At noon ſome noddies came ſo near to us, that one of them was caught by hand. This bird was about the ſize of a ſmall pigeon. I divided it, with its entrails, into 18 portions, and by a well-known method at ſea, of, Who ſhall have this? it was diſtributed, with the allowance of bread and water for dinner, and eat up bones and all, with ſalt water for ſauce.

See, I've put sugar-plums on his coat for fancy buttons, sugared his shirt-frill, and put on a red almond to his hat-front.

On top it's a dry cactused area inhabited by typical upper desert creatures such as kangaroo rats and collared lizards.