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Table of Contents

NATURAL HISTORY.

FORSTER'S PACHYPTILA (Pachyptila vittata.)

October 16.

I shot a female petrel; it had a nail planted in the heel, but no thumb; the bill was hooked at the end, the extremity of which seemed to consist of a distinct piece, articulated with the remainder; the nostrils were united, and formed a tube laid on the back of the upper mandible, hence it belonged to the family of Petrels (Procellariae.)

Its temperature was 94 degrees.

Length from tip to tip of wing, 2 feet 3 inches.

Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 1 foot 2.4 inches.

Length from root to tip of tail, 4 inches.

Length of beak, 1.45 inches.

Length of foot, 1.55 inches.

Breadth across body, 2.3 inches.

Colour of beak and legs black; body white underneath; general colour above, a light bluish slate, which grows darker in the head and wing covers; tail tipped with black; the four first wing feathers tinged with black.

CAPE PIGEONS.

I also shot this afternoon three Cape pigeons (Procellaria capensis) white underneath, spotted black and white above.

FIRST SPECIMEN--Female.

Temperature, 98 1/2 degrees.

Length from tip to tip of wing, 2 feet 11.3 inches.

Length from tip of tail to tip of beak, 1 foot 6 inches.

Length from tip of beak, 1.5 inches.

Length from root to tip of tail,4.1 inches.

Length of foot, 2.3 inches.

Breadth across body, 3.2 inches.

SECOND SPECIMEN.

Length from tip to tip of wing, 2 feet 5 inches.

Length from tip of tail to tip of beak, 1 foot 5 inches.

Length from tip of beak, 1.5 inches.

Length from root to tip of tail, 4 inches.

Length of foot, 2.3 inches.

Breadth across body, 3 inches.

THIRD SPECIMEN--Female.

Length from tip to tip of wing, 2 feet 5.5 inches.

Length from tip of tail to tip of beak, 1 foot 4.6 inches.

Length from tip of beak, 1.3 inches.

Length from root to tip of tail, 4.6 inches.

Length of foot, 2.2 inches.

Breadth across body, 3.4 inches.

Two species of insects were found in these Cape pigeons.

The only difference I have been able to observe between the male and female of these birds is, that the male has the black spots of rather a deeper hue.

October 21. Latitude 38 degrees 15 south; longitude 35 degrees 53 minutes east.

From a variety of observations I am able to bear testimony to the correctness of a fact that has been before noticed, namely, that the Medusae invariably live in families. This single circumstance is remarkable in connection with other points of natural history since it will tend to explain the reason of certain classes of Petrels (Procellariae) only visiting particular parts of the ocean.

Sunday October 22. Latitude 37 degrees 44 minutes south; longitude 38 degrees 00 east.

Caught two small animals, one closely resembling a small shrimp (Penaeus) but having the head covered with a most beautiful purple shield. I kept this alive in a jug. The other in size and appearance exactly like a purple grape (Hyalea) with a greenish tinge at one extremity surrounding an aperture, and a distinct aperture at the other extremity. It was 0.4 inches in diameter, and had the power of emitting a phosphorescent light. I have since this period found several varieties of this animal; which, when it expands itself, closely resembles an insect, and has little wings. Further on will be found a sketch of these animals in their expanded state. (See illustration, Hyalea figure 1.)

THE ALBATROSS (Diomedea exulans).

We caught four of these birds yesterday, from which I made the following measurements:

FIRST SPECIMEN. Weight, 19 1/2 pounds.

Length from tip of wing to tip of wing, 10 feet 2 inches.

Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 4 feet 0.5 inches.

Length of beak, 6.8 inches.

Length from root to tip of tail, 10.0 inches.

Length of foot, 7.6 inches.

Length of wing, 4 feet 8 inches.

Height from ground, 2 feet 10 inches.

Temperature 98 degrees, the thermometer placed under the tongue during life. These measurements were all made during the lifetime of the bird.

SECOND SPECIMEN. Weight, 15 1/2 pounds.

Length from tip of wing to tip of wing, 10 feet.

Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 3 feet 11 inches.

Length of beak, 6.6 inches.

Height from ground to top of head, 2 feet 4 inches.

Temperature 98 degrees.

THIRD SPECIMEN. The largest bird of the kind I have hitherto seen.

Length from tip of wing to tip of wing, 10 feet 8 inches.

Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 4 feet 6 inches.

Breadth across the body, 8 inches.

Length of bill, 6.7 inches.

Length of foot, 7.5 inches.

FOURTH SPECIMEN. The same size as the second.

Length of beak, 6.3 inches.

Length of foot, 6.9 inches.

The beak of each of these birds during lifetime was of a beautiful light rose colour; their voice was something like that of a goose, but rather louder, deeper, and hoarser. If during life the beak was pressed with the finger it became quite white, and it was not until the pressure had for some time been removed that the colour returned. The specimens I have described above (all males) were quite white underneath; the white above being speckled with black spots and streaks, sometimes changing to a brownish hue; the wings were black. We obtained also a female bird with the following measurements, which has been described as a distinct species: Length from tip to tip of wing, 7 feet 2 inches.

Length from tip of tail to tip of beak, 3 feet 5.5 inches.

Length from root to tip of tail, 9 inches.

Length of beak, 4.5 inches.

Length of foot, 5 inches.

Legs pale flesh colour; beak, black, with a brown-coloured streak on each side of the lower mandible; the whole body of a dirty black colour, acquiring a lighter tinge underneath.

October 30.

I shot two male specimens of this last bird: the only distinction between them and the female was that they were rather smaller, and had a white streak instead of a light brown one on each side of the lower mandible.

FIRST SPECIMEN--Male. Weight, 5 1/2 pounds. Length from tip of wing to tip of wing 6 feet 6 inches.

Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 2 feet 6 inches.

Length from root to tip of tail, 11 inches.

Length from root to tip of beak, 4 inches.

Length from root to tip of foot, 5 inches.

Length from root to tip of wing, 2 feet 10 inches.

SECOND SPECIMEN--Male. Weight 7 pounds.

Length from tip to tip of wing, 6 feet 9 inches.

Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 2 feet 10 inches.

Length of tail, 10.6 inches.

Length of beak, 4.7 inches.

Length of foot, 5 inches.

Length of wing, 3 feet.

All the three specimens of this species had a distinct although minute claw, representing a thumb, upon one leg, thus apparently forming a link between the genus Procellaria and the genus Diomedea.

PACHYPTILA VITTATA.

Ash-grey above; white in the under parts; quills, tail-feathers at the tip, and band on the wings when expanded, brownish-black.

Length from tip to tip of wing, 2 feet.

Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 10 inches.

Length from root to tip of tail, 4.3 inches.

Length of beak, 1 inch.

Length of foot, 1.5 inches.

Length of wing, 10.5 inches.

This bird is of the same species as the one I procured on the 16th of October. I shot it about nine A.M. They are very numerous in these latitudes; their flight resembles much that of a snipe. The name by which they are known to the sailors is the whale-bird; they appear to take their food upon the wing, for I have never yet seen them sit upon the waters even for a single second, although I have observed them frequently, and at all hours; but night and day they hurry on with the same restless, rapid flight, sometimes going in large flocks; and I have never upon shore seen so many birds assembled upon a few square miles as I have sometimes here observed in the open ocean. I never heard them utter any cry or sound.

I saw but few Cape pigeons (Procellaria capensis) after passing the 40th degree of longitude, and neither Cape pigeons nor albatrosses after passing the 95th degree of longitude, and 32nd parallel of latitude. I have never seen a petrel or bird of the family Longipennes discharge its oily fluid at anyone who worried or attacked it; but have almost invariably seen it involuntarily eject it,when hurt or frightened.

THE ALBATROSS.

November 9.

I caught four albatrosses with a fishing-line; one of them was a female, the first I had seen. I observed no marked difference between her and males of the same species, for I have found them vary much in the dark shades upon their feathers.

I have yet found no bird of this family whose foot was not longer than its beak.

DIOMEDEA EXULANS--Female.

Length from tip of wing to tip of wing,10 feet 10 inches.

Length from tip of wing, 4 feet 10 inches.

From tip of beak to tip of tail, 4 feet 9 inches.

Length of beak, 7.2 inches.

Length of tail, 9 inches.

Length of foot, 7.5 inches.

The black and brown marks on this bird were darker than the corresponding ones on the males.

I am inclined to think that the chief characteristic that distinguishes the females from the males in the family Longipennes is their greater size: my opinion is grounded upon the following tables, drawn up from careful measurements, made by myself.

(TABLE OF FAMILY LONGIPENNES)

In each of these three instances the female is larger than the males; they are the only ones I am able to adduce which bear upon this point.

November 11. South latitude 30 degrees 47 minutes; east longitude 100 degrees 21 minutes 15 seconds.

Being a calm, I gave the men leave to bathe this afternoon, and was one of the first overboard myself. Within an hour and a half after we had done bathing, a cry of a shark was raised, and in truth there was the monster (the first we had seen). I mention this fact as tending to support what I have often heard stated, namely, that a shark's sense of smell is so keen that, if men ever bathe in seas where they are found, a shark is almost sure to appear directly afterwards. This really occurred in the present instance.

We repeatedly caught many little animals which I believe are the VELELLA of Lamarck. They consist of a flat oval cartilage, on which they float; there is a mouth in the inferior surface of this surrounded with many tentacula; on its superior surface is a crest which remains above water, and the wind blowing against it turns the animal round; they thus swim with a rotatory motion; the crest is placed obliquely to the length of the oval cartilage, and this position of it perhaps assists in producing the motion; the crest is perfectly transparent, but marked with little striae; the oval cartilage is marked with concentric striae, which indicate the lines of its growth; in some this cartilage is transparent, in others quite blue.

November 12. South latitude 30 degrees 11; east longitude 100 degrees 31 minutes 30 seconds.

We caught several beautiful animals this day, of the Medusae kind (Diphya). (See Illustration 3, Diphya, Sp.)

Diphya, Sp.

Figure 1 represents a section through one of them, the size of life: the bag (1) is of a delicate bright amber colour. The long tentacula issuing out are upwards of a foot in length and of a bright flesh colour.

Figure 2 is a section across the animal.

Figure 3 represents the mouth of the large opening at c, d, as if one was looking down into it.

Figure 4 upper part; Figure 5 lower; and Figure 6 the perfect animal.

Between c d apparently lay the entrance to its mouth; in the little bag marked (3) its long tentacula were concealed, and below these lay a little gut marked (4) which communicated with the point (L) by a small canal: (1) was its swimming apparatus, and by alternate contractions and expansions of this, it took in and expelled water, and thus acquired a rapid motion, the pointed end (L) moving forwards.

Its length was 1.7 inches.

Breadth, 0.7 inches.

Thickness, 0.35 inches.

Temperature the same as the water, 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

The sketch Illustration 4, Diphya, Sp. gives a faint idea of the most beautiful animal of this kind which I have ever seen. It was so delicate that, with the slightest touch, portions of it came off, hence the specimen we obtained is I fear useless. The body consisted only of a central canal, to which were attached a number of gelatinous bags, with large lateral openings, so large that other zoophytes were caught in them, and apparently annoyed the animal; who continued throwing water out until it expelled them. The whole was surmounted by a number of the most beautiful rose-coloured tentacula: I counted eleven on it, and found four more that were torn off, but there may have been more. Its top, when looked into closely, resembled some of the sea anemones; and inside of the large bright orange-coloured tentacula were placed circular rows of smaller ones. Its body was quite transparent, with the exception of the central canal, which was of a milk-white colour, and terminated in a small sac of the same hue.

It moved in a direction opposite to the tentacula, by taking in water at the lateral openings of the bags, in the position in which it is represented; then bending these towards the tentacula, and expelling it with great violence.

Temperature the same as the water, 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Length of body (to tentacula from root of tail-like canal) 1.8 inches.

Length of tentacula, 1.2 inches.

Length of tail-like canal, 0.45 inches.

Breadth, 1.1 inches.

Thickness, 0.8 inches.

Long tentacula, flesh-coloured; large tentacula, rose-coloured; lateral bags, tinged with clear amber; the rest of the animal perfectly transparent.

4. Diphya, Sp. (Acalepha.)

We this evening caught several curious little animals (Clio ?) which when taken out of the water appeared like small balls of the same matter as that of which a slug is composed. Presently a little head peered out, then the body expanded itself, and finally two little things like wings were spread forth, formed of a fine membrane; they moved these very rapidly, and swam with great velocity.

We caught several small crabs, and two kinds of shells, of a beautiful purple colour. (Janthina exigua.) These were very small; I have preserved several of them.

5. Salpa, Sp.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 represent different views of an animal (Salpa) slightly electrical, that we caught this evening. Figure 1 is its appearance, one side being up; Figure 2 when the other side is turned up; Figure 3 is the side view of it.

I have never before seen one of the kind electrical. Temperature the same as the water, 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Length, 1.5 inches.

Breadth, 0.6 inches.

Thickness, 0.3 inches.

Figure 1. The intestinal canal terminates in a little coloured bag, generally of a bluish tinge; there is an opening at each extremity, one a little to the left of the little bag, the other, as shown in Figures 3 and 1.

November 13. Latitude 30 degrees 7 minutes south; longitude 100 degrees 50 minutes 10 seconds east.

6. Hyalea, Sp.

Figure 1. Represents a little shell (Hyalea) which was caught this day.

7. Physsophora rosacea.

Figure 2. One of the tentacula of the animal I imagine to be the Physsophora rosacea. The point which is seen obtruding at the base resembles a little nerve; it runs the whole way down the tentacula.

8. Erichthus vitreus.

Figure 3. A little shrimp-like animal (Erichthus vitreus) caught on the 14th November, latitude 29 degrees 26 minutes south; longitude 101 degrees 32 minutes east. Its head was protected by a shield, such as is shown in the figure.

We caught this day several other Acalepha, two of which were of the wonderful genus DIPHYA. I yesterday drew a coloured figure of the lower part of one of these animals.

This animal in its perfect state (such as we found it in today) consists of two individuals, the part of one being encased in a cavity of the other. Figures 4 and 5 Illustration 4 will give a correct idea of the way in which this junction is effected. The least motion separates these two parts, and each forms a perfect animal, which performs all the functions of life. This is the more extraordinary, as the containing animal is furnished with an organ not possessed by the contained, and which in their united state is used by both. Figure 5. From the little bag (f) at the bottom of the cavity (g) the receiver produces a chaplet, which traverses the canal in the received marked (2) in Figure 6, and which is here drawn the size of life, was sometimes expanded to the length of one foot eight inches. This organ, according to M. Cuvier, is composed of ovaries, tentacula, and suckers.

The swimming apparatus, marked (1) and (4) in Figure 6, act simultaneously; they are of a bright amber colour, and their mouth (a) and (h) are closed with little valves, nearly invisible even when in motion; the points round their upper aperture seem to form the hinges for these. In twenty seconds I counted seventy expansions and dilatations of this apparatus. The chaplet and the bag that holds it are flesh-coloured; the rest of the body is gelatinous and diaphanous. They live in families, and swim with great rapidity in the same manner as the other Acalepha.

Caught also shells and crabs of the same kind as yesterday.

November 14. Latitude 29 degrees 26 minutes south; longitude 101 degrees 2 minutes east.

Physsophora rosacea, Cuvier, see below. We caught another animal of the same kind as the one taken on the 12th of November, and figured in Illustration 7. It was so delicate that I did not measure it for fear of its falling to pieces, but it appeared to be exactly the same size as the former one.

Its circle of large tentacula were of a bright pink, and were fifteen in number; inside this circle was a smaller one of the same number of shorter tentacula, which were not quite so bright a pink colour; in the centre of these were placed organs of a very extraordinary nature, apparently quite round, and not thicker than the very finest silk; they were arranged exactly in the form of a corkscrew, and from the beauty of their mechanism, the animal could press fold against fold, and thus render them less than a quarter of an inch in length, and I watched it almost instantaneously expand them to the length of nine inches. After having observed the animal closely for an hour I am writing this with it before me, alive in a large glass bottle of salt water, and measuring what I put down. The manner in which it expands these organs is by first uncoiling those folds nearest the body, and afterwards those most remote; so that when folded up it looks like a corkscrew with the folds pressed close together, and when expanded, like a long straight thin bit of flesh-coloured silk, with a little corkscrew of the same material at the end. The larger tentacula are shaped like the trunk of an elephant, and their extremity is furnished with a very delicate organ with which they can catch anything, and, if touched, they instantly turn some of these tentacula, which they have the power of moving in any direction, to the point so touched. They are not electrical: the lateral bags have a slight tinge of a bright amber colour. These animals sustain themselves in the water by means of the little bag marked (a) in the figure, which floats on the surface full of air, they there swim in the manner before described. I afterwards observed very minute globules, or lumps, in the long silk-like tentacula. When expanded these were very distinct.

Latitude 29 degrees 26 minutes south; longitude 101 degrees 32 minutes east.

9. Janthina exigua.

We caught several small shells (Janthina exigua) this afternoon: Illustration 9 represents one of them, with the string of air bubbles attached, by means of which they swim on the water. They appear not to be able to free themselves from this mass of bubbles: every shell I have yet found floating in the Indian Ocean possesses these bubbles in a greater or less degree; they were of a purple colour. I have seen the common garden snail in England emit a nearly similar consistency: they also emit a blue or purple liquid, which colours anything it touches.

The animals of the barnacles (Pentalasmis) attached to these shells assume their purple colours, while the shell remains nearly pure white.

This afternoon we caught an animal (Glaucus, Illustration 10) I had not before seen. It seemed to represent the order reptilia in the Mollusca, being sluggish in movement, its eyes distinct, sensitive to the touch, its head much resembling a lizard in appearance, and having a very strong unpleasant smell when taken out of the water. During the hour I observed it in a bucket it remained sluggishly floating on the top, and occasionally swimming by moving its arms slowly along the surface. The first three that I saw pass the vessel I imagined to be feathers floating on the water.

10. Glaucus, Sp.

Its description is as follows:

Length from head to tail, a c 1.8 inches.

Length from head to root of tail, a b 0.85 inches.

Length from head to first arm 0.2 inches.

Length from head to second arm 0.45 inches.

Length from head to third arm 0.7 inches.

1st arm.

From centre of back to end of round part, d e 0.3 inches.

From e to the end of short tentacula, e f 0.3 inches.

Ditto to long ditto, e g 0.75 inches.

Diameter of round part and attached tentacula 0.4 inches.

2nd arm.

From centre of back to end of tentacula. 0.4 inches.

3rd arm, do. do. 0.25 inches.

Breadth of body between the two first arms 0.13 inches.

Thickness 0.25 inches.

General colour of body, indigo blue, of a darkish tinge; down the centre of the back a white streak, terminating at the root of the tail; sides blue, tail blue, quite white underneath, its belly altogether resembling that of a frog; tail tapering to a point.

1st arm. 26 tentacula attached to the rounded paddle-shaped part of this arm, the centre tentacle more than twice the length of the others. These tentacula were so delicate that at the slightest touch they fell off. Those nearest the body were so small as to be almost imperceptible, gradually increasing in length as they approach the centre, and then decreasing to the other side. Centre of paddle-shaped part white, tentacula blue and white, fringed with dark blue at the extremity.

2nd arm. 18 tentacula to this, centre ones the largest. Same colour as first arm.

3rd arm. 12 tentacula, not forming such a regular circle as on the two first arms, and apparently issuing directly from a very short limb attached to the body.

The general appearance of the skin was that of a frog. It had the power of contracting itself considerably.

Caught a slug-like animal (Holothuria) this evening, or rather more closely resembling a caterpillar.

Length from head to root of tail 0.7 inches. Length of tail (or rather gelatinous protuberance) 0.25 inches. Breadth (broadest part at root of tail) 0.22 inches. Narrowest part (near head) 0.15 inches. Length of head 0.12 inches.

Head of light red colour, mouth apparent, motion of head like a caterpillar's when touched, shape cylindrical, body gelatinous, intestines apparent and full.

November 16. Longitude 102 degrees 40 minutes east; latitude 28 degrees 5 to 6 minutes south.

Since we have passed the 95th parallel of longitude, and 32nd of latitude up to the present moment we have been out of the region of birds, for during the whole of this period I have seen but two, one of which, a Petrel, has this moment visited us. We have however seen more Sea-jellies, Acalepha and Mollusca than before, and those of a much more beautiful kind. Thus nature has made up for the deficiency of one tribe of animals by the profuseness with which she has distributed another.

November 18. Latitude 26 degrees 57 minutes south; longitude 105 degrees 22 minutes east.

We caught a crustaceous animal (Phyllosoma, see Illustration 11) which was perfectly transparent; it was furnished with twelve legs on what I considered the hinder part of its body, and four antennae in front, which have their tips of a bright pink colour, and two eye peduncles by their side, which terminate in little bags containing some blue matter (their eyes). It was furnished also with two legs underneath. These are just shown in the figure near the centre of the body, and between those underneath the insect there was a slight projection, with two little lumps on each side. In this projecting part there appeared to be an opening. When it was taken out of the water it stood upright on its legs and crawled a little like a large beetle, but soon died. In the water it swam with the legs, and the last joint appeared to be feathered. It will be seen that there is a great irregularity in the position of the legs of this insect. The specimen appeared to me to be in some respects imperfect; but I figured it exactly as it was, without blindly guessing at its perfect state. It was not thicker than the thinnest wafer. The back was marked with curved lines, exactly in the manner I have represented. It shrank instantly when touched. The two last joints of the long legs were furnished with thorn-like spikes.

11. Phyllosoma, Sp.

Length of tail 0.37 inches.

of the body 0.2 inches.

of the thorax and head 0.3 inches.

of the entire animal 1.4 inches.

Breadth of body 0.62 inches.

Ditto of thorax 0.51 inches.

Length of third leg 1.9 inches.

Length of second leg 1.7 inches.

Length of hindermost leg 0.6 inches.

Length of eyes, peduncles 0.4 inches.

We caught a second animal of exactly the same size as the one figured, but apparently much more perfect. Each of its tentacula terminates in a small feathering tip when it is in the water, like the little figures at the side, and by the help of which they swim; these have a horny feel to the touch, are destitute of smell, and look like a transparent scale when they lie in your hand.

We also caught this day some little transparent shells (Cuvieria) of a cylindrical form, and blunt at the end; they put out two little fins with which they swam.

I was unfortunately too unwell this day to describe all the other specimens we caught, which were numerous. The sea was full of small acalepha, and in the midst of a shoal of these a whale was seen.

November 19. Latitude 25 degrees 50 minutes south; longitude 106 degrees 22 minutes east.

Birds first re-appeared again. I saw a large flock of two kinds, but was not near enough to ascertain what they were. I have before noted the fact that almost at the exact point where the southern birds of the family Longipennes disappeared those sea-jellies (acalepha) which have the power of stinging, began to show themselves; previously to our passing this point I had not seen one: I saw several however today at no great distance from this flock of birds.

We saw float by this afternoon one of the acalepha, apparently about two feet long and shaped generally like a water snake; its tail had fins like that of an eel, of a purplish tinge; I could distinctly see its head and various vessels in its interior for it was quite transparent. We had no net ready but threw a stick with a piece of string attached to it, the string passed under it but in pulling up cut through it as though it had been jelly.

Caught an animal (Cymothoa) shaped exactly like a woodlouse:

Length 0.4 inches.

Length of antennae 0.15 inches.

Breadth of body 0.12 inches.

It had six legs, and a tail-like fin behind on each side, and nine rings on its back so that it could roll itself almost into a ball, these rings extended no farther than from its head to within 0.12 inches of its hinder extremity; colour very pale blue down the back, bright prussian blue on each side; it crawled about when taken out of the water, and lived for some time; its fins, or fin-like legs, when it thus crawled about, were folded under its tail; eyes distinct.

MOLLUSCA.

November 20. Latitude 25 degrees 14 minutes south; longitude 106 degrees 49 minutes east.

9. Janthina exigua.

A shell, Janthina exigua, was caught this evening, 8 hours 30 minutes P.M.; when brought directly out of the water into a room the temperature of the animal was 80 degrees 5'; of room 76 degrees; colour, dark violet purple over half the opening and lower part of the shell, so that it gives the animal the appearance of having been upon a purple-coloured place; this colour then dies gradually away, and in the smallest whorl of the shell becomes almost white. They had the power of emitting drops of a violet colour, and when put into spirits a great quantity of this issued from the mouth of the shells. We had one evening before caught a pair of shells of the same species, but much smaller, at exactly the same hour; in both instances each pair were caught at the same haul of the net.

November 23. Latitude 21 degrees 43 minutes south; longitude 109 degrees 43 east. 8 1/2 P.M.

FLYING FISH.

A flying-fish (Exocetus) flew on board. Its temperature was 74 degrees. The colour of its iris was black.

Length from mouth to end of curve between forks of tail 10 inches.

From mouth to commencement of wing-like fin 2.7 inches.

Length of wing fin 6.7 inches.

of dorsal fin 2.0 inches.

of pectoral fin 2.2 inches.

of anal fin 1.3 inches.

of upper fork of tail 2.2 inches.

of lower ditto 3.2 inches.

Length from mouth to end of gill 2.2 inches.

Breadth of wing fin 6 inches.

13 spines in each of these wings.

Breadth between eyes 0.11 inches.

Depth of fish 1.6 inches.

Breadth of thickness 1.6 inches.

Diameter of the eye 0.65 inches.

Under-jaw projecting; sides, pale green; back, blackish-green; belly, white; five first spines in wing fin, greenish; others white; wing-fin dark green with a transparent band running nearly up the centre from the back; pectoral fin, transparent, with a dark green spot, nearly an inch square, about the centre of its lowest extremity; tail, dark green, edges light.

November 26. Latitude 16 degrees 32 south; longitude 117 degrees east.

After crossing about the 22nd parallel of south latitude we fairly entered into the region of flying fish, and dolphins as they are commonly called; tropic birds were now also frequently seen, which had not up to this moment been the case; we often also met hereabouts with a dark-coloured bird with bronzed wings, having a cry precisely like a Snipe. I know not the name of this bird. The more beautiful and largest Sea-jellies (acalepha) had now disappeared, although the more minute ones were as numerous as ever.

REMARKS.

It therefore appears to me that we have, in coming from the southward to this point, passed through three great regions, or zones, of animal life, one extending from as far to the southward as I have yet been, namely 36 degrees south latitude to 31 degrees south latitude; this zone was inhabited by numerous Sea-jellies (acalepha) of the smaller kind, by porpoises and whales, as well as by immense varieties of the Petrels or Procellariae.

The second zone extending from 31 degrees south to 22 degrees south latitude was inhabited by immense numbers of the larger and more beautiful kind of Sea-jellies (acalepha) particularly by those that have the power of stinging. Within this zone I saw but one whale, one shoal of porpoises, and not a single one of the long-winged water birds or Petrels; in fact I but once in the whole of this distance saw any birds; there were also here a great variety and numbers of Sea-jellies (acalepha) of the smaller kinds. Do then the larger acalepha in this zone perform the office of the birds in the more southern one, and prey upon the smaller species of their own kind?

The third zone is the one with which I have commenced the journal of this day.

WATER SNAKES.

November 29. Latitude 15 degrees 26 minutes 32 seconds south; longitude 122 degrees 3 minutes east.

We saw six or seven water snakes (Hydrus) this day, all about three feet long, of a dirty yellow colour, with black stripes, the head black, they were furnished with fins like an eel, were of a very graceful form, and moved on the water exactly like a snake, with the head a little elevated; when they dived they turned up on their backs before they sank: we caught one of these snakes, also a moth and butterfly. A large bat (Pteropus ?) flew about the vessel this evening and pitched several times on the boat astern. I once struck it as it passed me, it appeared much fatigued; we were 150 miles from the main and thirty from the nearest small sandy island.

SHARKS.

We caught two sharks today; the sailors said that they saw fourteen or fifteen little sharks swimming round one of these, and that when the bait was thrown into the water and made a noise some of these swam into her mouth: directly after they had told me this the shark was caught. I had it opened and four young ones were found inside, two had never left the uterus, for they were attached to it at the time, the other two were not so attached, and were larger than the former, and swam well and strongly when put into the water: whether or not they had ever left the mother I cannot of course say. I have preserved two in spirits, one that was attached and one that was not; two intestinal worms were found in the stomach of one of the sharks.