44 CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 



succeeded by moderate breezes from S.S.W. and S. W. 

 with which we stood close hauled across the Gulf of Guinea; 

 but the strong N. E. currents prevented our making any 

 southing. The weather, in crossing the Gulf, was always 

 extremely cloudy, widi frequent drops of rain, and much 

 less sultry, the thermometer varying between 80° and 78°. 



May 6th. Until this time the Naturalists were obliged to 

 content themselves with the small animals the towing net 

 afforded them, but they were now gratified by the capture of 

 albicore and bonito, many of both being taken by the 

 grains and hook. The most apparent distinctive characters 

 of these two species of the Scomber are the following. The 

 albicore (Scomber thjnnus) has 14 rays in the first dorsal 

 fin, 8 small false fins on the back, and the same number on 

 the under side ; the dorsal, anal, and false fins are strongly 

 tinged with orange, the under part of the sides of the fish 

 marked with transverse whitish stripes, the palate studded 

 with boney points. The foremost dorsal fin of the bonito 

 (Sc. pelamis) has 16 rays, the false fins are eight on the 

 back, and only seven beneath. These fins have no orange 

 tinge ; the under sides are marked longitudinally with four 

 black stripes, and the palate is quite smooth. 



If the esteemed tunny-fish of the ]\Iediterranean and the 

 albicore of the Atlantic be the same species, there seems to 



