180 SOUTH SEA ISLANDS TO NEW ZEALAND cu. vill 
straight line, almost to the water’s edge, and in a few 
minutes totally disappeared. Its distance, I suppose, made 
it appear so trifling, as the seamen judged it to be not less 
than two or three miles from us. 
29th. In the course of last night a phenomenon was 
seen in the heavens which Mr. Green says is either a comet 
or a nebula; he does not know which; the seamen have 
observed it these three nights. 
30¢h. Our comet is this morning acknowledged, and 
proves a very large one, but very faint. Tupia, as soon as 
he saw it, declared that the people of Bola-Bola would, upon 
the sight of it, kill the people of Ulhietea, of whom as many 
as were able would fly into the mountains. Several birds 
were seen: pintados, albatrosses of both kinds, the little 
silver-backed bird which we saw off the Falkland Isles 
and Cape Horn (Proeellaria velox), and a gray shearwater. 
Peter saw a green bird about the size of a dove: the colour 
makes us hope that it is a land bird; it took, however, not 
the least notice of the ship. Some seaweed was also seen 
to pass by the ship, but as it was a very small piece, our 
hopes are not very sanguine on that head. 
31st. Many millions, I may safely say, of the Procellaria 
velox mentioned yesterday were about the ship to-day; they 
were grayish on the back, and some had a dark-coloured 
mark going in a crooked direction over the back and wings. 
I tried to-day to catch some of these numerous attendants 
with a hook; but after the whole morning spent in the 
attempt caught only one pintado, which proved to be Procel- 
larva capensis, Linn. 
19th September. Shot Procellaria velox (the dove of the 
31st), P. vagabunda (a gray - backed shearwater) and a 
Passerina. Took with the dipping-net Medusa vitrea, 
Phyliodoce velella (to one species of which adhered Lepas 
anatifera), Doris complanata, Helix violacea} and a Cancer. 
23rd. Dr. Solander has been unwell for some days, so 
to-day I opened Dr. Hulme’s essence of lemon juice, Mr. 
Monkhouse having prescribed it for him ; it proved perfectly 
1 A species of Janthina. 
