14 WILD SPORTS IN THE FAR WEST. 



several strange substances floating on the sen, which I 

 could not observe more closely, lor want of a net to 

 catch them: I decided on making one. 



All went well for several days ; the weather 

 improved, sea-sickness disappeared, and the fair sex 

 began to show themselves on deck. I had made a net, 

 fastened it to a staff', and kept it in readiness for any 

 thing remarkable floating past; indeed, for me, every 

 thing that floated by was remarkable, or at least 

 worth examination. I caught a number of jelly-like 

 creatures, which had the power of rising or sinking in 

 the water, and also that of motion ; one kind being about 

 live or six inches long, and one and a half or two 

 broad, hollow, and provided with a sort of stomach 

 marked by a dark spot, the only compact part of the 

 animal. If left on a dry board tor a couple of hours, 

 it resolved itself into water, excepting the stomach 

 and a slimy opaque mass with a very thin line .-kin. 

 Sometimes we saw numbers of them linked together, 

 and always with the dark spot on one side. Some, 

 snails were caught resembling land snails: their shells 

 contained a blue liquid, which seemed adapted to give 

 a beautiful dye. I wrote a few lines with this dve to 

 see how the color lasted, and found that it did not 

 change in the least. The most beautiful of all this 

 specie- is unquestionably the "Nautilus," r, as the 

 Kngli-h call it, " Portuguese man-of-war.'' It can rai-e 

 itself about three inches above the surface, and steT 

 its own com>e, but disappears in a storm; numerous 

 feelers of two, three, and four feet, serve to provide 

 nourishment. 1 caught one in mv net, and happening 

 to touch it with the back of mv hand, it made it .-mart 



