1690.] TRADE WINDS. 19 



Fish did not open its Mouth very wide, but there's a secret 

 help for that, and it opens it as far as the place mark'd a. 

 Its Teeth above and below are so little, so short, and so 

 weak, that one wou'd think they were only made for Scratch- 

 ing : Its Tongue is broad, blackish, and hard at the Eoot, 

 but soft and a little reddish at the Tip. Its Eye is a good 

 Inch Diameter : The Sight like very white and transparent 

 Chrystal, and the Circle that surrounds it, is more Brilliant 

 than pollish'd Gold. 



" The colour of this Fish is the same with that of which 

 you have giv'n us. a Description, tho' it has no Scales on its 

 Back, it has nothing but a smooth Skin on its Back and 

 Belly, and on its Side between the Tail and the Fins near 

 the Gills, there's a scaly List two Inches broad, the Scales so 

 little and so fine, that they are scarce perceptible : Its two 

 Fins, if I may call them so, which are mark^l B, are bony 

 and immoveable. In the narrowest part of its Tail, there's 

 a knot on each side, out of which grows a little hairy Tuft 

 that is not above an Inch and a half long. 



" Whereas your Fish has but six of those little Fins which 

 you have represented in your Draught, to be \ipon the Back 

 toward the Tail, and seven under it; this has nine above 

 and eight below, c.c, Shews where the Gills are which open 

 one another very easily. And cl.d., is like a great Scale, 

 which cannot be but very little lifted up- all about it.' 



The Trade-winds^ having left us in the Wi Degree, we had 

 nothing after that but Gusts and Calms till we came to the 

 Line, no sooner was one gone, but another came. The Heat 

 was not excessive, we cou'd very well bear our Night- gowns 

 all Night long. 



We crost the Line the 2ocl of Novemher, and were oblig'd 

 to undergoe the impertinent Ceremony of Baptisin, at least 



1 Sometimes the north-east and south-east trade wiods meet, gene- 

 rally somewhere about the meridian of 28'', or 33° west, where a vessel 

 may, by chance, pass in a squall from one trade to the other. 



c2 



