170 THE OCEAN. 



slender iDeak, almost like that of some bird : in other 

 respects there is little difference between the Porpesse 

 and the Dolphin. Both are very voracious, pursuing 

 any prey they can master: in the stomach of one 

 taken in the Atlantic, I found a number of the beaks 

 of Cuttles {Sejnadoi). A century or two ago, the 

 flesh of this animal was esteemed a dainty worthy 

 the attention of epicures in this country ; but now it 

 is relished only by those whom the salt provisions of 

 a long voyage have rendered less choice than they 

 would be under other circumstances. From the 

 abundance of blood, the meat is very dark in appear- 

 ance ; but to my own taste, on one or two occasions, 

 with my appetite sharpened by the privation just 

 mentioned, steaks cut from it and fried have seemed 

 very savoury and agreeable. 



Now the long yellow strings of floating weed 

 (Sargassum vulgare), which lie in parallel lines 

 pointing to the wind, or the broader masses that 

 resemble meadows parched by protracted drought, 

 inform us that we are in that mighty current of 

 tepid water, the Gulf-stream. We hasten to the 

 gangway, and having drawn a few buckets of clear 

 transparent water, which we deposit in a tub, collect 

 with a boat-hook a quantity of the floating weed, 

 and immerse it in the tub of water to be examined. 

 Many of the stems and berry-like air-vessels are 

 coated with a thin and delicate tissue of shelly 

 substance {Flustra), of a greyish hue, like very 

 minute network, so delicate as not at all to disfigure 

 or conceal the form of the substance on which it 

 is spread. This network is formed of a multitude 



