MADEIRA. 41 



I visited a steamboat which came into the harbour for coals and 

 which was running between the Bight of Benin and Liverpool. 

 The whole ship was covered with cages full of grey parrots ; even 

 in the forecastle, in the seamen's sleeping place, every available 

 nook was full of parrots. The deck was covered with various 

 African monkeys, and there was a large wild cat in a den, and 

 some large snakes (Pythons) in a box. All these animals were 

 intended for sale in Liverpool. 



We left Madeira in the evening. The ship passed quickly 

 out of the lee of the land and into the trade wind and was soon 

 driving along before it, dashing a sheet of foam from under the 

 bows. There was a splendid sunset. The sky was lighted up 

 with brilliant golden and red tints, behind and to the west of the 

 hazy blue mountains of Madeira, in front of which floated here 

 and there small filmy clouds. Beneath the higher mountains, 

 were the green lower ranges, half lighted up by the evening 

 light, half in intense black shade. Lower down again, on the 

 shore, lay the glistening white town with its dark black cliffs on 

 either hand. 



As it grew darker, the lower ranges and details of the view 

 became gradually lost, and at last all that was to be seen was 

 the dark outline of the mountains against the sky, with the 

 twinkling lights of Funchal far below, and a few lights dotted 

 about on the hill-side above. At last we lost sight of the island 

 altogether and sped south before the breeze, not to return so far 

 north of the equator again for nearly two years, when we reached 

 Yeddo, in Japan, in nearly the same latitude. 



For a list of works and papers relating to the Zoology of Madeira, see 

 "Preussische Expedition nach Ost-Asien." Zoologie, ltes Kap. Madeira, 

 pp. 1-25. 



Cape Verde Islands, July 21th to August 9th, 1813. — The ship 

 was off the island of St. Vincent of the Cape Verde group 

 on July 27th, and the islands of Sta. Lucia and St. Antonio 

 were in sight ; a heavy mist hanging over the high mountains 

 of the latter. We anchored at Porto Grande, the harbour of 

 St. Vincent. 



The island is about 12 miles long by six broad. It has an 

 irregularly oval form, and consists of a flat central tract more or 



