Ch.V. south AMERICA. -^51 



the water ; their plumage on their breaft and belly is 

 white, but their back, the upper part of their wings, 

 and all their neck, brown. As fifh is their whole Tub- 

 fiftence, they dart down into the water with prodigious 

 celerity, and continue a long time under it in purfuit of 

 their prey. 



On the 30th, in the latitude of 45 deg. 54 min. and 

 28 deg. 43 min. E of Conception, we again faw fome 

 of the fame birds as on the 27th, befides fome fmall 

 whales near the Ihip. During the whole remainder of 

 the voyage we had always fight of thefe kind of birds, 

 and another very nearly refembling the Penguin i but 

 the bill was black, very large, and of a fquare form. 

 Both kinds fwarm on the bank, but without it they are 

 not fo frequent. On our approach to the bank we alfo 

 faw great numbers of cavallas, which abound all along 

 the coañs. We likev/ife law fome ihoals of tunny fiih. 

 About the edge of the bank there is always a great 

 fwell : but on coming within the foundings, even in a 

 hard gale of wind, though attended with a high fea, it 

 does not continue any longer than the wind ; the one 

 fubfiding as the other abates. 



If I have been fo very circumilantial in my ac- 

 count of the voyage from Conception, and given a 

 detail not only of the winds and times of the year, 

 but alfo of the agitation of the fea, in norms and 

 hard gales, the courfe, the colour of the water, and 

 the figns of birds and fiOies, I hope it v.'ill be attri- 

 buted to my zeal for the improvement of naviga- 

 tion, and my defire that mariners who are ftrangers 

 to this voyage, might be acquainted with thefe 

 things, which are certainly of real utility; as by thus 

 acquiring a knowledge of the latitudes and longi- 

 tudes, which are punótually let down at every fjgn or 

 an extraordinary occurrence, they might be acquain- 

 ted with the particulars of every part} and conle- 

 quently the better enabled to take the moft proper 



raeaiuresi 



