MAR. 1769 SUPPOSED SOUTHERN CONTINENT 67 



water sufficiently disproves this, and teaches me at least, 

 that till we know how this globe is fixed in that place 

 which has been since its creation assigned to it in the 

 general system, we need not be anxious to give reasons how 

 any one part of it counterbalances the rest. 



21st. Took Turbo Jtuitans, floating on the water in the 

 same manner as Helix ianthina, Medusa porpita, exactly like 

 that taken on the other side of the continent, and a small 

 Cimex, which had also been taken before. This last appears 

 to be a larva ; if so, it is probably of some animal that lives 

 under water, as I saw many, but none that appeared 

 perfect. 



On Phaeton erubescens were plenty of a very curious kind 

 of Acarus phaetonis, which either was or appeared to be 

 viviparous. Besides what was shot to day, there were seen 

 man-of-war birds (Pelecanus aquilus), and a small bird of the 

 Sterna kind, called by the seamen egg-birds; they were 

 white with red beaks, and about the size of Sterna hirundo. 

 Of these I saw several juofc at nightfall, flying very high and 

 following one another, all standing towards the N.N.W. ; 

 probably there is land in that direction, as we were not far 

 from the spot where Quiros saw his southernmost islands, 

 Incarnation and St. John Baptist. 



24:th. The officer of the watch reported that in the 

 middle watch the water, from being roughish, became suddenly 

 as smooth as a mill pond, so that the ship, from going only 

 four knots, at once increased to six, though there was little 

 or no more wind than before. A log of wood also which 

 was seen by several people to pass the ship made them 

 believe that there was land to windward. When I came on 

 deck at eight o'clock the signs were all gone. I saw, how- 

 ever, two birds which seemed to be of the Sterna kind, both 

 very small, one quite white and the other quite black, which 

 from their appearance could not venture far from land. 



To-day by our reckoning we crossed the tropic. 



25th. This evening one of our marines threw himself 

 overboard, and was not missed until it was much too late 

 even to attempt to recover him. He was a very young man, 



