i8o SOUTH SEA ISLANDS TO NEW ZEALAND CH. vni 



straight line, almost to the water's edge, and in a few 

 minutes totally disappeared. Its distance, I suppose, made 

 it appear so trifling, as the seamen judged it to be not less 

 than two or three miles from us. 



29th. In the course of last night a phenomenon was 

 seen in the heavens which Mr. Green says is either a comet 

 or a nebula ; he does not know which ; the seamen have 

 observed it these three nights. 



30th. Our comet is this morning acknowledged, and 

 proves a very large one, but very faint. Tupia, as soon as 

 he saw it, declared that the people of Bola-Bola would, upon 

 the sight of it, kill the people of Ulhietea, of whom as many 

 as were able would fly into the mountains. Several birds 

 were seen : pintados, albatrosses of both kinds, the little 

 silver-backed bird which we saw off the Falkland Isles 

 and Cape Horn (Procellaria velox), and a gray shearwater. 

 Peter saw a green bird about the size of a dove : the colour 

 makes us hope that it is a land bird ; it took, however, not 

 the least notice of the ship. Some seaweed was also seen 

 to pass by the ship, but as it was a very small piece, our 

 hopes are not very sanguine on that head. 



3 1st. Many millions, I may safely say, of the Procellaria 

 velox mentioned yesterday were about the ship to-day ; they 

 were grayish on the back, and some had a dark -coloured 

 mark going in a crooked direction over the back and wings. 

 I tried to-day to catch some of these numerous attendants 

 with a hook; but after the whole morning spent in the 

 attempt caught only one pintado, which proved to be Procel- 

 laria capensis, Linn. 



19th September. Shot Procellaria velox (the dove of the 

 31st), P. vagabunda (a gray - backed shearwater) and a 

 Passerina. Took with the dipping-net Medusa vitrea, 

 Phyllodoce velella (to one species of which adhered Lepas 

 anatifera), Doris complanata, Helix violacea, 1 and a Cancer. 



23rd. Dr. Solander has been unwell for some days, so 

 to-day I opened Dr. Hulme's essence of lemon juice, Mr. 

 Monkhouse having prescribed it for him ; it proved perfectly 



1 A species of lanthina. 



