1832.] TELAGIO CONFERVA AND INFUSORIA. 15 



Chile, a few leagues north of Coucepcion, the Beagle one day 

 passed through great bands of muddy water, exactly like that of 

 a swollen river ; and again, a degree south of Valparaiso, when fifty 

 miles from the land, the same appearance was still more extensive. 

 Some of the water placed in a glass was of a pale reddish tint ; and, 

 examined under a microscope, was seen to swarm with minute 

 auimalcula darting about, and often exploding. Their shape is 

 oval, and contracted in the middle by a ring of vibrating curved 

 cilife. It was, however, very difficult to examine them with care, 

 for almost the instant motion ceased, even while crossing the field 

 of vision, their bodies burst. Sometimes both ends burst at once, 

 sometimes only one, and a quantity of coarse, brownish, granular 

 matter was ejected. The animal an instant before bursting expanded 

 to half again its natural size ; and the explosion took place about 

 fifteen seconds after the rapid progressive motion had ceased : in 

 a few cases it was preceded for a short interval by a rotatory move- 

 ment on the longer axis. About two minutes after any number 

 were isolated in a drop of water, they thus perished. The animals 

 move with the narrow apex forwards, by the aid of their vibratory 

 cilire, and generally by rapid starts. They are exceedingly minute, 

 and quite invisible to the naked eye, only covering a space equal 

 to the square of the thousandth of an inch. Their numbers were 

 infinite; for the smallest drop of water which I could remove 

 contained very many. In one day we passed through two spaces 

 of water thus stained, one of which alone must have extended over 

 several square miles. What incalculable numbers of these micro- 

 scopical animals! The colour of the water, as seen at some 

 distance, was like that of a river which has flowed through a red 

 clay district ; but under the shade of the vessel's side it was quite 

 as dark as chocolate. The line where the red and blue water 

 joined was distinctly defined. The weather for some days 

 previously had been calm, and the ocean abounded, to an unusual 

 degree, with living creatures.* 



* M. Lesson (Voyage rle la Coquille, torn, i., p. 255) mentions red water 

 off Lima, apparently produced by the same caiise. Peron, the dis- 

 tinguished naturalist, in the Voyage aux Terres Australes, gives no less 

 than twelve references to voyagers who have alluded to the discoloured 

 waters of the sea (vol. ii. p. 239). To the references given by Peron may 

 be added, Humbolclt's Pers. Narr., vol. vi. p. 804 ; Flinders' Voyage, 

 vol. i. p. 92 ; Labillardiere, vol. i. p. 287 ; Ulloa's Voyage ; Voyage of the 

 Astrolabe and of the Coquille ; Captain King's Survey of Australia, etc, 



