20 Cruise 0/ the "Alert.'* 



a species of Hylea, and a thick fleshy Pteropod, a species of 

 Pneumodermon, small globe fishes, many long, transparent, stalk- 

 eyed Crustaceans, and other minute members of the same class 

 of Arthropod a. 



On the 14th of November we sounded in latitude 19° 43' S., 

 longitude 3 6° 5' W., the bottom consisting of a pale chocolate- 

 coloured tenacious mud. Towards evening we reached the position 

 of the Montague Bank, which is indicated on the chart as a bank 

 about three miles long, and in one part covered by only thirty- 

 six fathoms of water. We sounded for this bank repeatedly, 

 but in vain, nowhere getting bottom with 470 fathoms of line. 

 The ship was now allowed to drift during the night-time, sound- 

 ings being made from time to time ; and towards morning we 

 filled our sails to a northerly breeze, and stood on for the Victoria 

 Bank. In the afternoon we met with a large school of sperm whales 

 {Physeter macrocephalus)^ displaying to advantage, as usual, their 

 huge cylindrical snouts, and alternately their great spreading tails ; 

 this circling exercise appearing to be a favourite amusement of theirs. 



On reaching the Victoria Bank, we hauled the dredge in thirty- 

 nine fathoms, but dropping on a rugged coral bottom, the bag 

 was torn to pieces ; however, the tangles contained numbers of an 

 oval-shaped sponge, varying in length from a quarter of an inch 

 to an inch, and studded with beautiful glassy spicules (determined 

 by Mr. Ridley to be a new species of Chalina), and also numbers 

 of the genera Vioa, Nardoa, Aphocera, and Grantia. Among 

 Polyzoa, the genera Canda, Membranipora, Cribrillina, Gigantopora, 

 Rhyncopora, Smittia, and Cellepora were represented. Our opera- 

 tions in the Abrolhos region being now at an end, we shaped a 

 course for Monte Video. 



On the 22nd of November, when we were a hundred miles 

 from the Brazilian coast, and in about the latitude of Rio, great 

 numbers of moths appeared, hovering about the ship, and settling 

 on the rigging. The wind was at the time blowing freshly from 

 the westward ; but the moths appeared, strange to say, as it 



