GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 3Q3 



floating on the water. On one of tlieni a small 

 sucking fish was fastened, (Eckeneis remora^ L.) On 

 tlie l6th, three herons, (as we took them to be,) 

 followed the sliip ; tliey appeared to be very 

 fatigued j for one of them tried to seat itself on 

 the back part of the ship, but fell again into the 

 water. On the following day, we shot a duck, 

 which we decided to be the Anas sirsai7\ described 

 by Forskohl, in Egypt. To-day a shark fastened 

 itself again to the hook, which we recognized to 

 be Squalus carcharias ; two Echenei were attached 

 to its body. On the 20th of November, we saw 

 the first large Brazilian Holothuria, (Ph?/salia). 

 On the 7th of December, (near the Brazilian 

 coast,) we sailed through a long yellow streak in 

 the sea, several fathoms broad. We drew some 

 of the water up in a pail, and observed that 

 the yellow colour was occasioned by immense 

 numbers of small, thin, yellow stems, about half a 

 line long. Through the microscope we clearly 

 discovered several transverse divisions in each of 

 the round stems. Two days after, we again met 

 with such streaks in the sea ; we afterwards saw 

 narrower green stripes, which were formed of 

 myriads of microscopic animals. These were dis- 

 tinguished by no external members, and had a 

 resemblance to a Planaria. On the 10th we 

 descried the Brazilian coast ; we saw to-day the 

 first frigate birds, (Pelecanus aquilus, Lin.) 



Though the mountains of the coast of the con- 

 y 3 



