8 cook's first voyage SEPT. 



day we had a very hard gale, which brought us 

 under our courses, washed over-board a small boat 

 belonging to the boatswain, and drowned three or 

 four dozen of our poultry, which we regretted still 

 more. 



On Friday, the 2d of September, we saw land 

 between Cape Finister and Cape Ortegal, on the coast 

 of Gallicia, in Spain ; and on the 5th, by an observ- 

 ation of the sun and moon, we found the latitude of 

 Cape Finister to be 42° 53' North, and its longitude 

 8° 46' West, our first meridian being always supposed 

 to pass through Greenwich ; variation of the needle 

 Sr 4' W. 



During this course, Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander 

 had an opportunity of observing many marine animals, 

 of which no naturalist has hitherto taken notice ; 

 particularly a new species of the Oniscus, which was 

 found adhering to the Medusa Felagica ; and an 

 animal of an angular figure, about three inches long, 

 and one thick, with a hollow passing quite through 

 it, and a brown spot on one end, which they con- 

 jectured might be its stomach ; four of these adhered 

 together by their sides when they were taken, so that 

 at first they were thought to be one animal, but upon 

 being put into a glass of water they soon separated, 

 and swam about very briskly. These animals are of 

 a new genus, to which Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander 

 gave the name of Dagysa^ from the likeness of one 

 species of them to a gem : several specimens of them 

 were taken, adhering together sometimes to the length 

 of a yard or more, and shining in the water with 

 very beautiful colours. Another animal, of a new 

 genus, they also discovered, which shone in the 

 water with colours still more beautiful and vivid, and 

 which indeed exceeded in variety and brightness any 

 thing that we had ever seen : the colouring and 

 splendour of these animals were equal to those of an 

 Opal, and from their resemblance to that gem, the 

 genus was called Carcinium Opalinum, One of them 



