Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/86

76 of our veel, in quet of their food, which they find upon the urface of the ocean.

We were mortified to find that the vegetables and fruits, which we had bought at Teneriffe, did not keep, as their corruption was greatly accelerated by the heat and moiture that prevails during the calms of this zone. We had reaon to believe that as they had been gathered in a very hot and dry climate, they would have kept much better than thoe of Europe.

A mall hark (qualus carcharias, Linn.) fell a victim to his voraciounes. As oon as they had hauled him on deck, he was immediately cut in pieces, and every one had his hare. The hark however is very poor food; for beides the natural abhorrence which the fleh of an animal that devours human bodies mut excite, it is very difficult of digetion: but at ea we cannot chooe our dihes, and freh proviions are always preferable to alted.

I found attached to the higher orifice of his tomach a number of worms of the genus doris of Linnæus. They were about an inch and a half in length, and did not eaily let go their hold, although the hark was dead. I oberved them now and then hoot out the two tentacula that belong to the characteritics of this genus.

The ituation of the mouth of the hark, under his