PROFESSOR SMITH'S JOURNAL. 283 



informed us that our comrades were in the neighbourhood, 

 near a pool of water hke a fishing-pond, whei'e Cranch had 

 just shot an Anhinga. We went down to the river side, 

 and to our great joy found here the whole company, who 

 had just had an immense draught of large fishes of a spe- 

 cies of Spams. It was near dinner-time, and we thought 

 it best to accompany them onboard. We returned accord- 

 ingly with a full cai'go, more like wood-cutlers than bota- 

 nists. Cranch had not been very fortunate. We observed 

 but few insects, and the birds were very shy. I saw a 

 number of parrots, small parroquets, a black-bird on the 

 wing, and two small MoticUUe, but did not fire a single 

 shot. Galwey brought to me a beautiful violet-coloured 

 Robinia, which I had not seen before. We had collected 

 plants, the examination of wliich would recpiire weeks, 

 though our excursion had been so very short, not more 

 than four hours. Lockhart and myself were occupied the 

 whole afternoon and evening in laying in. specimens of 

 plants. I considered that the best way would be to pre- 

 serve them immediately, and put a specimen of each in 

 water. We found ourselves quite exhausted. The heat 

 was from 6° to 8' of Fahrenheit greater inland, than on 

 the sea-shore. 



July 12. We examined plants all this day. The two 

 double-boats had already been put into the water last 

 niglit. Both are fitted up to-day, and to-morrow we shall 

 leave the ship. A boat from Embonima is with us. The 

 natives tell us that all the vessels which were at that place 

 had betaken themselves to flight before we entered the 



