16 CEOSSING THE LINE. 



the performance of the usual ceremonies on " cross- 

 ing- the line," a custom now happily falling- into 

 desuetude— I allude to it merely for the purpose of 

 mentioning its unfortunate consequences in the pre- 

 sent instance ; for, although the whole proceeding 

 was conducted with the greatest good humour, 

 we had soon afterwards to lament the occurrence of 

 a fatal case of pleurisy, besides another scarcely less 

 severe, believed by the medical ofl&cers to have been 

 induced by forcible and continued submersion in 

 what is technically called " the pond," one part of 

 the performance which novices are obHged to sub- 

 mit to during these marine Saturnaha. 



The most interesting occurrence in natural history 

 during the passage, in addition to the usual accom- 

 paniments of flying fish, dolphins, ph5!'sah8e and 

 velellae, was our finding, in the neighbourhood of 

 the equator, considerable numbers of a rare British 

 bird, Thalassidroma Leacliii, a species of storm- 

 petrel, not before known to extend its range to the 

 tropics J it was distributed between the tropic of 

 Cancer and lat. 5° S. 



As we approached the South American coast, the 

 rates of several of our seventeen chronometers (fif- 

 teen Government and two private ones) were found 

 to have strangely altered, thus reducing the value 

 of our meridian distance between Madeira and 

 Bio ; this effect was ascribed to the firing of shotted 

 guns when exercising at general quarters, a practice 

 which in consequence was not afterwards repeated. 



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