THE STRAIT OF MAGELLAN. 261 



mass of dark cloud, passing slowly over a clear space of sky- 

 close to the horizon before it dipped beneath the wave ; and 

 after its disappearance the western clouds became traversed 

 with innumerable long lines of gold, while those in the east 

 were suffused with a pink glow, and displayed a broad rain- 

 bow of the same colour. 



We made little way during the night, but the breeze 

 revived again next morning (9th). That day various patches of 

 floating " kelp" were observed, and petrels and albatrosses were 

 seen in numbers. On the 10th, on which we made little 

 progress, as the wind had fallen very light, and there was a 

 strong current against us, we saw some black-and-white por- 

 poises tearing through the water, and a few animals were 

 procured in the towing-net, including three beetles,* one of 

 which was a fresh-water species, a few minute specimens of 

 Lepas australis, attached to the air-vesicles of Macrocystis, 

 and two small PteropodSy the Cleodora pyramidata and Cttvi- 

 eria columella, both widely-distributed forms. The 11th was 

 clear, bright, and cold, with but little wind. In the evening 

 a Cetacean, about twelve feet long (apparently a species of 

 Deljphinus), appeared close astern, and followed the vessel for 

 some time, diving about in the vicinity of the towing-net. 

 It had a broad flat head, with a pointed nose, and sighed 

 loudly as it appeared above the surface of the water, but did 

 not spout. A breeze again sprang up during the night, so 

 that by the morning of the 12th we were making from six to 

 seven knots on our course. The three following days were 

 not distinguished by any particular event ; but the 16th was 

 sadly marked by the death of one of the ship's company, who, 

 after having made a partial recovery from typhoid fever con- 



* At this time we were about 200 miles from the nearest land (coast of 

 Patagonia). 



