Page:Journal of the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Banks.djvu/82

24 Soon after we came on board, a Sphinx was taken, which proved to be quite new, and a small bird, Tanagra Jacarini, Linn.; it seemed, however, from Linnæus's description, as well as Edwards' and Brisson's, that neither of them had seen the bird, which was in reality a Loxia nitens.

The fish brought on board proved to be Scomber amia, S. falcatus, Coryphæna, Hippurus ?, Sparus pagrus and Sciæna rubens; the second and last not being before described, we called them by these names.

10th. Species of seaweed now came floating by the ship. It proved to be Sargasso, Fucus natans, which is generally supposed to increase upon the surface of the sea in the same manner as duckweed (Lemna) does on fresh-water, without having any root; this, however, plainly showed that it had been rooted in the coral rock on the bottom, as two specimens particularly had large lumps of the coral still adhering to them. Among the weed were some few animals, but scarcely worth mentioning: one Balistes, but quite a fry, so young that it was impossible to refer it to its species; also a worm, which proved to be Nereis pelagica.

12th. This morning we were abreast of the land, which proved, as we thought last night, to be the island just within Cape Frio, called in some maps the Isle of Frio. About noon we saw the hill called the Sugar Loaf, which is just by the harbour's mouth, but it was a long way off yet, so we had no hopes of reaching it this night.

The shore from Cape Frio to this place has been one uninterrupted beach of the whitest colour I ever saw, which they tell me is a white sand.

In the course of this evening we approached very near the land, and found it very cold, to our feelings at least: the thermometer at ten o'clock stood at 68¼°, which gave us hopes that the country would be cooler than we should expect from the accounts of travellers, especially M. Biron, who says that no business is done here from ten to two on account of the intense heat. 13th. This morning the harbour of Rio Janeiro was right ahead, about two leagues off, but it being quite calm