24 ENGLAND TO RIO DE JANEIRO CHAP, i 



Soon after we came on board, a Sphinx was taken, 

 which proved to be quite new, and a small bird, Tanagra 

 Jacarini, Linn. ; it seemed, however, from Linnseus's descrip- 

 tion, as well as Edwards' and Brisson's, that neither of them 

 had seen the bird, which was in reality a Loxia nitens. 



The fish brought on board proved to be Scomber amia, 

 S. falcatus, Coryphcena, Hippurus ?, Sparus pagrus and Scicena 

 ruibens ; the second and last not being before described, we 

 called them by these names. 



1 Qth. Species of seaweed now came floating by the ship. It 

 proved to be Sargasso, Fucus natans, which is generally supposed 

 to increase upon the surface of the sea in the same manner 

 as duckweed (Lemna) does on fresh-water, without having 

 any root ; this, however, plainly showed that it had been 

 rooted in the coral rock on the bottom, as two specimens 

 particularly had large lumps of the coral still adhering to 

 them. Among the weed were some few animals, but 

 scarcely worth mentioning: one Balistes, but quite a fry, 

 so young that it was impossible to refer it to its species ; 

 also a worm, which proved to be Nereis pelagica. 



12th. This morning we were abreast of the land, which 

 proved, as we thought last night, to be the island just within 

 Cape Frio, called in some maps the Isle of Frio. About 

 noon we saw the hill called the Sugar Loaf, which is just by 

 the harbour's mouth, but it was a long way off yet, so we 

 had no hopes of reaching it this night. 



The shore from Cape Frio to this place has been one 

 uninterrupted beach of the whitest colour I ever saw, which 

 they tell me is a white sand. 



In the course of this evening we approached very near 

 the land, and found it very cold, to our feelings at least : 

 the thermometer at ten o'clock stood at 68^, which gave us 

 hopes that the country would be cooler than we should 

 expect from the accounts of travellers, especially M. Biron, 

 who says that no business is done here from ten to two on 

 account of the intense heat. 



13th. This morning the harbour of Rio Janeiro was 

 right ahead, about two leagues off, but it being quite calm 



