CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 43 



The currents, from leaving Porto Praya until in latitude 

 6°, longitude 15°, set to the south andS.E. ; they then 

 changed to the N. E. and E. N. E., with various degrees of 

 velocity, from 8 to 40 miles a day, and retained this direc- 

 tion imtil we made Prince's Island. 



The winds imtil the 5th of May, when we crossed the 

 meridian of Cape Palmas, at the distance of 15 leagues 

 from that Cape, were very light and variable, between south 

 and S. W, The greatest heat of the atmosphere was 85*' in 

 a clear calm at 3 P. M., and the least 74° after heavy rain ; 

 the rain water as it fell being at 75°. The various trials of 

 the temperature of the sea gave between 81° and 82" at the 

 surface, and 63°to 64° at the depth of 200 fathoms. A large 

 shoal of the bottle-nose porpoise or dolphin of naturalists, 

 (Delphimis delphis) was seen ; flocks of tropic birds, and a 

 few men-of-war birds (Pelicanus aquila) now also accompa- 

 nied our course. It was observed that the former bird 

 fishes in the manner of the gull, flying low, and seizing 

 its prey only at the surface, and often sitting on the water ; 

 while the man-of-war bird soars very high, hovers on the 

 wing like the kite, and darts perpendicularly on its prey, 

 <3iving after, and carrying away, the largest flying-fish into 

 ithe air. 



After passing Cape Palmas, the light southerly air was 



