17C8. ROUND THE WORLD. 9 



lived several hours in a glass of salt water, swimming 

 about with great agility, and at every motion dis- 

 playing a change of colours almost infinitely various. 

 We caught also among the rigging of the ship, when 

 we were at the distance of about ten leagues from 

 Cape Finister, several birds which have not been 

 described by Linnaeus ; they were supposed to have 

 come from Spain, and our gentlemen called the species 

 Motacilla velifica?is, as they said none but sailors would 

 venture themselves on board a ship tliat was going 

 round the world : one of them was so exhausted, that 

 it died in Mr. Banks's hand, ahuost as soon as it was 

 brought to him. 



It was thought extraordinary that no naturalist 

 had hitherto taken notice of the Dagysa, as the sea 

 abounds with them not twenty leagues from the 

 coast of Spain ; but, unfortunately for the cause of 

 science, there are but very few of those w^ho traverse 

 the sea, that are either disposed or qualified to 

 remark the curiosities of which Nature has made it 

 the repository. 



On the 12th we discovered the islands of Porto 

 Santo and Madeira, and on the next day anchored in 

 Punchiale road, and moored with the stream-anchor : 

 but, in the night, the bend of the hawser of the 

 stream-anchor slipped, owing to the negligence of the 

 person who had been employed to make it fast. 

 In the morning the anchor was heaved up into the 

 boat, and carried out to the southward ; but in 

 heaving it again, Mr. AVeir, the master's mate, was 

 carried overboard by the buoy-rope, and went to 

 the bottom with the anchor ; the people in the ship 

 saw the accident, and got the anchor up with all 

 possible expedition ; it was, however, too late ; the 

 body came up intangled in the buoy-rope, but it was 

 dead. 



When the island of Madeira is first approached 

 from the sea, it has a very beautiful appearance ; the 

 the sides of the hills being entirely covered with vines 



