Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/238

180 straight line, almost to the water's edge, and in a few minutes totally disappeared. Its distance, I suppose, made it appear so trifling, as the seamen judged it to be not less than two or three miles from us.

29th. In the course of last night a phenomenon was seen in the heavens which Mr. Green says is either a comet or a nebula; he does not know which; the seamen have observed it these three nights.

30th. Our comet is this morning acknowledged, and proves a very large one, but very faint. Tupia, as soon as he saw it, declared that the people of Bola-Bola would, upon the sight of it, kill the people of Ulhietea, of whom as many as were able would fly into the mountains. Several birds were seen: pintados, albatrosses of both kinds, the little silver-backed bird which we saw off the Falkland Isles and Cape Horn (Procellaria velox), and a gray shearwater. Peter saw a green bird about the size of a dove: the colour makes us hope that it is a land bird; it took, however, not the least notice of the ship. Some seaweed was also seen to pass by the ship, but as it was a very small piece, our hopes are not very sanguine on that head.

31st. Many millions, I may safely say, of the Procellaria velox mentioned yesterday were about the ship to-day; they were grayish on the back, and some had a dark-coloured mark going in a crooked direction over the back and wings. I tried to-day to catch some of these numerous attendants with a hook; but after the whole morning spent in the attempt caught only one pintado, which proved to be Procellaria capensis, Linn.

19th September. Shot Procellaria velox (the dove of the 31st), P. vagabunda (a gray-backed shearwater) and a Passerina. Took with the dipping-net Medusa vitrea, Phyllodoce velella (to one species of which adhered Lepas anatifera), Doris complanata, Helix violacea, and a Cancer.

23rd. Dr. Solander has been unwell for some days, so to-day I opened Dr. Hulme's essence of lemon juice, Mr. Monkhouse having prescribed it for him; it proved perfectly