FAUNA AND FLORA OF THE FALKLAND S. 363 



were very numerous, and occasionally I fancied I could get an 

 occasional glimpse of a Porpita and a Cestus as we steamed along. 

 I again tried to catch several of these with a canvas bucket 

 which I had made to take samples of water, but in no case was 

 I successful. 



Several of the passengers, myself included, were struck by 

 the coolness of the air as we came on deck on the morning of 

 the 18th to take our constitutional walk after early coffee. On 

 taking the surface temperature of the sea I found it had fallen 

 to 60°F., but by noon in 31°36'N., 16°58'W., it had risen to 64°F. 



During this afternoon we steamed between two islands 

 Bugio and Deserta Grrande. At the extremity of the latter 

 stands a peculiar isolated rocky peak called " sail rock." 

 Although absolutely devoid of vegetation, these uninhabited 

 islands possess a strange beauty of their own ; the vertical sides 

 of both towering nearly fifteen hundred feet into the sky from 

 the sea-shore. 



On the 19th the surface temperature of the sea at 8 a.m. 

 was 60°F. During this day the colour of the sea changed to a 

 dark green, and the temperature was further reduced to 58'6°F. 

 at sunset, the air being only 65°F. at the same time. The 

 position of the ship at noon on this day was 38°34'N., 12°4rW. 



The barometer had kept very high since our departure from 

 St. Yincent, being 30"30 ; but the sunset and sky had every 

 appearance of unsettled weather being not far off. 



The weather during the 21st was most singular. While 

 taking my morning walk, the wind suddenly shifted from South 

 to North-west and we ran into a thick bank of mist and rain. 

 The surface temperature of the sea at noon was only 57'6°F. in 

 41°48'N., 10°4'V\^. and 56-3°F. at sunset; the temperature of the 

 air being 53-9°F. 



At the approach of this unsettled weather we had numbers 

 of birds round the ship. They were all one species and I believe 

 were Terns {Sterna fluviatilis), but they did not approach near 

 enough for me to examine any of them closely. 



The weather now turned very cold, and we passed through 

 several hail- storms which reminded one very much of the 

 Falklands. The temperature of the sea was only 52°F. at noon, 

 our position at that time being 47°40'N., 5°54'W. 



