THE PORPOISE. 53 



ATLANTIC OCEAN. 



which the beech -tree extended its branches. At another 

 time, off the east coast of Tierra del Fuego, we saw a grand 

 sight in several spermaceti whales jumping upright, quite 

 out of the water, with the exception of their tail-fins. As 

 they fell down sideways they splashed the water high up, 

 and the sound re-echoed like a distant broadside. 



THE PORPOISE. 



ON the morning of July 5th, 1832, we got under way, 

 and stood out of the splendid harbor of Rio de Janeiro. In 

 our passage to the Plata we saw nothing particular, except- 

 ing on one day a great shoal of porpoises, many hundreds in 

 number. The whole sea was in places furrowed by them ; 

 and a most extraordinary spectacle was presented, as hun- 

 dreds, proceeding together by jumps, in which their whole 

 bodies were exposed, thus cut the water. When the ship 

 was running nine knots an hour these animals could cross 

 and recross the bows w r ith the greatest ease, and then dash 

 away right ahead. As soon as W 7 e entered the estuary of 

 the Plata the weather was very unsettled. One dark night 

 we were surrounded by numerous seals and penguins, which 

 made such strange noises that the officer on watch reported 

 he could hear the cattle bellowing on shore. On a second 

 night we witnessed a splendid scene of natural fireworks; 

 the mast-head and yard-arm ends shone with St. Elmo's 

 light, and the form of the vane could almost be traced, as 

 if it had been rubbed with phosphorus. The sea w r as so 

 highly luminous that the tracks of the penguins were mark- 



