100 LOOSE LEAVES 



alarmed the insipid uniformity of their pleasures. Dice and other games 

 of chance were carried to a ruinous excess, and are so keenly stigma- 

 tized by moral writers of that age, that it would seem they had begun 

 but recently to prevail and prove fatal. 



LOOSE LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. NO. V. 

 BY J. G. M. 



" I'm on the sea, I'm on the sea, 

 I am where I would never be." — 



Thus groaned to-day a poor, sea-sick compagnon du voyage, who 

 solemnly declared that if he should be spared to reach the land, which 

 he thought he woukPnt live to do, no man would ever catch hinr at 

 sea again. I was mercifully exempted from this visitation, thanks under 

 Providence to a good stomach, a good conscience, and a stout heart, 

 and spent much of my time in naturalizing. On my outward voyage, 

 nothing of special interest occurred — we saw neither whales, nor sea-ser- 

 pents ; we caught no crabs, and harpooned no porpoises. Not even a 

 flying-fish crossed our path, and in general, it was a dull voyage for a 

 naturalist. But still, there was enough to engage our attention occa- 

 sionally, and almost all the way across we were accompanied by that 

 everlasting Flyer, the Sea-gull. These birds (Larus, Lin.) are met with 

 even in the midst of the ocean, and seem to be untiring on the wing. 

 For hours they fly rapidly along, occasionally darting down to pick up 

 some oflal thrown from the ship, or to pounce on a stray flying-iish 

 that has ventured out of iiis native element. Now and then a gull may 

 be seen Uoating on the top of the wave, and its graceful rising and fall- 

 ing with the motion of tlie water is an interesting spectacle. It is in 

 tliis way they rest by day and sleep at niglit. The diflerent species 

 seem to live harmoniously together, for they are all ocean wanderers 

 and marauders, and like other pirates of diflerent complexions, languages 

 and countries, they agree to plunder whatever falls in their way. By 

 throwing a piece of fat pork over board, we could attract a whole fami- 

 ly together, until some fish or other marine monster would snatch it 

 away from them. I have often wondered what induced these birds to 

 go so far out to sea, when their food could he procured along the coast, 

 for it consists of small fish and the flesh of dead animals floating on the 

 water, but I presume they follow ships from whicli they have received 

 a choice morsel when near land, expecting to receive the same every 

 day. For many days in succession 1 have observed the same gull 

 careering round our chip every morning as soon as 1 went on deck, and 



