Ch. I.] TEOPICAL LIGHTNING. 13 



for hours the unceasing flashes — tongues of fire darting out 

 round the distant clouds — radiatiag iu five or six distinct 

 streams of flame from a given point, like the thunderbolt in 

 the hands of Jupiter — coursing along the sky, or dashing 

 down iuto the sea at the horizon Hke liquid fire ; but aU 

 this while not a sound was heard, no thunder reached the 

 ears, and the position of the storm scarcely altered during 

 the whole time. At 11 I retired from watching it, hut as 

 long as I remained awake I could see the reflection playing 

 upon the walls of the cabin, like the flickering of an un- 

 steady candle. The day succeeding was marked by a 

 brilliancy of atmosphere and freshness of temperature we 

 had not experienced before, and the only important change 

 we observed was an adverse wind. 



On this occasion I noticed a peculiarity, which was also 

 very strikingly marked, in a storm which passed near us at 

 Sarawak. The lightning in this case was unusually vivid, 

 but the flashes did not have the appearance of simple 

 instantaneous sparks, but looked just as though they con- 

 sisted of Hquid fire poured out from a vessel ia a continuous 

 stream, and lasting a perceptible time, during which the 

 lightning %'ibrated upon the retina — the zigzag form of the 

 flash, however, being perfectly retained meanwhile. 



As we neared the Straits we observed several floating 

 logs, or trunks of trees, which in the distance looked hke 

 boats. Some of them were covered with gannets (Sula 

 alba ?), as thick as they could cluster, though the birds 

 could have rested, if they chose, one would suppose, upon 

 the water, belonging as they do to the fully-webbed Peli- 

 canidse^ These birds are seldom seen far from land, and 

 their appearance is a sign of its proximity ; not so, however, 

 with . the Tropic birds (Phaethon sethereus), beautiful black 



