ST. JAGO, CAPE VERDE ISLANDS. 65 



flow is exposed to view and in many places ripple marks can be 

 seen in it. 



The limestone bed, where exposed to the air, is of a dazzling 

 white ; it is full of rounded nodules of a calcareous alga as 

 described by Darwin,* a species of Lithothammion.f I dredged 

 closely similar nodules to these in ten fathoms off the Philippine 

 Islands, in bushelsfull. These nodules were living masses of 

 Corallinacece, but loose rounded and unattached, yet covering 

 and composing the sea bottom. The basalt, undermined by the 

 cropping out of the limestone, falls in large masses and splitting 

 off with great regularity leaves the cliff with a remarkably 

 smooth vertical surface. 



Eed or precious Coral occurs at San Jago, and also at St. 

 Vincent. There are four or five Spanish boats, and seven 

 belonging to Italians, engaged in the fishery for it at San Jago. 

 It occurs in about 100 to 120 fathoms, and is dragged for with 

 swabs as in the Mediterranean : the strands of the swabs are 

 made up into a net with about a four-inch mesh. A duty of a 

 dollar a kilogram is paid to the Government on the coral. 



A pair of huge fish came round the ship whilst at anchor in 

 the harbour during the afternoon ; one, supposed to be the male, 

 was struck with a harpoon, but after some time managed to draw 

 it out by its struggles ; it twisted up the harpoon and was said 

 even to have moved the ship in its throes. I did not see the fish, 

 but from the description, coupled with the fact that there were a 

 pair of the fish, it seemed probable that the fish were the huge 

 ray Cephaloptera, the " Devil fish," which has curious horn-like 

 projections sticking out in front on either side of the mouth. 

 The fish were described as " as big as an ordinary dining-room 

 table." t 



The voyage from San Jago to St. Paul's Eocks occupied nine- 

 teen days. When we were two days out some swallows paid us 

 a visit, flying behind the ship. We ran at first parallel with the 

 African coast, and then stretched over westwards to St. Paul's 



* C. Darwin, "Volcanic Islands," p. 3. Smith and Elder, London, 1866. 

 t Prof. G. Dickie, " Journ. of Linn. Soc," Vol. XIV, p. 346. 

 X For an account of a visit to Porto Praya, see G. Bennett, " "Wander- 

 ings in New South Wales," Vol. I, p. 15. London, R Bentley, 1834. 



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