14 LEAVE MADEIRA. 



Although it is now the middle of winter^ to-day's 

 excursion afforded many subjects of interest to a 

 natm^alist. Some beautiful ferns^ of which even 

 the commonest one ( AdianUim CcqnUus- Veneris) 

 would have been much prized by an English 

 botanist as a Yerj rare British species^ occurred on 

 the dripping- rocks b}^ the roadside^ and many wild 

 plants were in flower on the lower grounds. 

 Even butterflies of three kinds^ two of which 

 (Colias Edvsa^ and Cynthia Cardui) are also 

 found in Britain^ occurred^ although in small num- 

 bers, and at the Pass of the Curral coleoptera of 

 the genera Pimelea and Searites^ were met \^'ith 

 inider stones along with minute landshells^ Bulimus 

 luhricuSj Clausilia deltostomay and a Pupa, 



After a stay of eight days^ we left Madeira for 

 Eio de Janeiro^ and on January 2nd picked up 

 the S. E. trade wind^ and passed through the Cape 

 de Verde Islands to the southward between Mayo 

 and St. Jago. Two days afterwards^ in lat. 9° 

 30' N.^ and long. 22"" 40' W.^ a sHght momentary 

 shock^ supposed to be the effect of an earthquake^ 

 was felt throughout the ship. On the 11th an 

 attempt was made to strike deep sea soundings^ 

 but failed from the drawing of a splice used to 

 connect two portions of the spun-yarn employed. 

 On the following day the attempt was repeated 

 by Captain Stanley^ unsuccessfully^ however^ no 

 bottom having been obtained at a depth of 2400 

 fathoms. Still a record of the experiment may 



