Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/125

Rh water sufficiently disproves this, and teaches me at least, that till we know how this globe is fixed in that place which has been since its creation assigned to it in the general system, we need not be anxious to give reasons how any one part of it counterbalances the rest.

21st. Took Turbo fluitans, floating on the water in the same manner as Helix ianthina, Medusa porpita, exactly like that taken on the other side of the continent, and a small Climex, which had also been taken before. This last appears to be a larva; if so, it is probably of some animal that lives under water, as I saw many, but none that appeared perfect.

On Phaëton erubescens were plenty of a very curious kind of Acarus phaëtonis, which either was or appeared to be viviparous. Besides what was shot to day, there were seen man-of-war birds (Pelecanus aquilus), and a small bird of the Sterna kind, called by the seamen egg-birds; they were white with red beaks, and about the size of Sterna hirundo. Of these I saw several just at nightfall, flying very high and following one another, all standing towards the N.N.W.; probably there is land in that direction, as we were not far from the spot where Quiros saw his southernmost islands, Incarnation and St. John Baptist.

24th. The officer of the watch reported that in the middle watch the water, from being roughish, became suddenly as smooth as a mill pond, so that the ship, from going only four knots, at once increased to six, though there was little or no more wind than before. A log of wood also which was seen by several people to pass the ship made them believe that there was land to windward. When I came on deck at eight o'clock the signs were all gone. I saw, however, two birds which seemed to be of the Sterna kind, both very small, one quite white and the other quite black, which from their appearance could not venture far from land.

To-day by our reckoning we crossed the tropic.

25th. This evening one of our marines threw himself overboard, and was not missed until it was much too late even to attempt to recover him. He was a very young man,