50 cook's second voyage dec. 



little tinged with blue. The upper side of their 

 quill feathers is a dark blue tinged with black. A 

 streak is formed by feathers nearly of this colour 

 along the upper parts of the wings, and crossing 

 the back a little above the tail. The end of the tail 

 feathers is also of the same colour. Their bills are 

 much broader than any I have seen of the same 

 tribe ; and their tongues are remarkably broad. 

 These blue peterels, as I shall call them, are seen 

 no where but in the southern hemisphere, from about 

 the latitude of 28, and upwards. Thermometer at 

 33 in the open air, at 32 in the sea at the surface, 

 and at 34-- when drawn, and 6- minutes in drawing 

 up from 100 fathoms below it, where it had been 16 

 minutes. 



On the 24th, the wind blew from N. W. to 

 N. E. a gentle gale, fair and cloudy. At noon we 

 were by observation in the latitude of 56 31' south, 

 and longitude 31 19' east, the thermometer at 35. 

 And being near an island of ice which was about 50 

 feet high, and 400 fathoms in circuit, I sent the 

 master in the jolly-boat to see if any water run from 

 it. He soon returned with an account, that there 

 was not one drop, or any other appearances of thaw. 

 In the evening, we sailed through several floats or 

 fields of loose ice, lying in the direction of S. E. and 

 N. W., at the same time we had continually several 

 islands of the same composition in sight. 



On the 25th, the wind veering round from the 

 N. E. by the east to south, it blew a gentle gale ; with 

 which we stood to the W. S. W. and at noon were in 

 the latitude of 57 50' south, and longitude 29 32' 

 east. The weather was fair and cloudy ; the air 

 sharp and cold, attended with a hard frost. And, 

 although this was the middle of summer with us, 

 I much question if the day was colder in any part 

 of England. The wind continued at south, blew a 

 fresh gale, fair and cloudy weather, till near noon 

 the next day, when we had clear sunshine, and 



