Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 6.djvu/289

283 JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO N. W. AMERICA. 283 The organs of digestion of this bird differ very little from those of the Tachypetes aquila. The liver & convolutions of the intestines are similar, the principal differance is in the stomach. The oesophagus is plentifully furnished with longitudinal ruga?, which terminate in a circular margin around the entrance of the stomach. The stomach is as thick as in the man-of-war bird & is furnished with a sim- ilar glandular apparatus. These glands differ from those of the Tachypetes in this respect ; instead of forming a con- tinuous coat it is divided into five deap sulci, separating as many glandular aggregations from one another. Several specimens of Sterna Stalida were also procured. This beautiful little bird alights on the vessel in the evening & is easily caught. The assophagus is wide & ends in a muscular stomach. The second stomach is still more mus- cular & the convolutions of the intestines numerous. 16 November This morning we saw Abington island, one of the Galapagos ; it has the same dreary, rugged as- pect as the other islands of the group. 17. On the approach of day we saw Albemarle island & were within twelve miles of Cape Berkeley. There are many dark spots, destitute of trees, formed by the streams of lava which have run down to the ocean ; while the rest of the island is covered by a plentiful vegetation. As a friend to natural history I could not fail wishing to land oh an island so rich in the objects of zoological research. The temperature during our present visit was far more mild than what we formerly experienced ; this was no doubt owing to the cloudy weather which at present pre- vails. The precise degree of heat I could not ascertain, as I lost my thermometer on the N. W. Coast. 12 December. Abundance of Xiphias makaira are now swimming about the vessel, probably attracted by the copper. The men succeeded in procuring one of them