ASCENSION TO THE AZORES, 1904 81 



June \}th. Ascension. Same kinds of sea birds seen as yesterday. About a dozen 

 species of fish were caught during the day ; four large sharks besides other fish were m 

 the trammel net which was badly torn by the former. A trumpet-fish was caught in 

 the large trap and some others were found in the small traps. Several albacores ' or a 

 kind of tunny were caught by means of a line ; the largest one weighed 105 Ibs. One 

 was used for food, another was sent ashore to Captain M'Alpine and two were preserved. 

 Some other fish were caught on the line, but many hooks were carried away by the large 

 tunnies. With the permission of Captain M'Alpine we secured tw T o baby turtles from 

 the turtle ponds and kept them alive on board in a tank. 



June 10th, 7 36' S. 14" 3:3' W. Weighed anchor early in the morning and trawled 

 in 40 fathoms off Pyramid Point before breakfast. Secured a very rich haul about 130 

 fish altogether, of which about 100 were flat-fish. Whilst the trawl was out I went away 

 in the dinghy and shot about a dozen birds in all, comprising three species, as far 

 as I can make out, gannets, tailor birds and small black birds like the one shot at St 

 Helena. 



I landed on a rock near the shore and found gannets and the small birds busy in 

 bringing up their young. They did not seem to have any nests, but simply laid their 

 eggs on the bare rock. Some gannets had fresh laid eggs and others had chicks, some 

 of which were big birds almost ready for Might. I did not see any of the black bird's 

 eggs, though I secured some young ones which were not able to Hy. There were a 

 great many lice on the birds. 



Porpoises, a Portuguese man -o' -war, wide-awakes and two or three white-bellied 

 Wilson's petrels 2 were seen during the day. 



June llth, 4 47' S. 15 47' W. Physalici, flying-fish, a gannet and a few white- 

 bellied stormy petrels were seen during the day. 



Jmie 12th, 2 46' S. 17 24' W. A school of porpoises were playing about the bows 

 of the ship after breakfast ; however, as soon as a harpoon was brought, they all vanished. 

 Saw an albacore jump about four feet out of the water. A large Portuguese man-o'-war, 

 two wide-awakes, flying-fish and a Wilson's stormy petrel were seen : the latter bird was 

 too far off to distinguish the species. Sea very phosphorescent since leaving Ascension. 



June 13th, 15' S. 18 32' W. The captain saw two Wilson's petrels, probably 

 the white-bellied ones, and also a flying-fish. 



June 14th, 2 09' N. 19 26' W. Numerous flying-fish were seen during the day. 

 One jumped on board early this morning. 



June Ibtlt, 3 50' N. 19 58' W. Flying-fish, porpoises and a shark were seen. 

 Sea very phosphorescent. 



June 16M, G 02' X. 20 :;:]' W. The steward caught a shark, which we preserved. 

 \Ve failed to catch the two pilot-fish, which were striped like a zebra. Several 

 porpoises, flying-fish and two or three stormy petrels, probably Wilson's, but too far off 

 to distinguish. 



1 Thynns albicora. ! Probably Cynv drama (jrallaria. 



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