260 NEW ZEALAND TO AUSTRALIA CHAP. XI 
animals, to which was added Actinia natans. I again saw 
undoubted proofs that the albatrosses eat Holothwrie or 
Portuguese men-of-war, as the seamen call them. I had 
also an opportunity of observing the manner in which this 
animal stings. The body consists of a bladder, on the upper 
side of which is fixed a kind of sail, which he erects or 
depresses at pleasure: the edges of this he also at pleasure 
gathers in, so as to make it concave on one side and convex 
on the other, varying the concavity or convexity to which- 
ever side he pleases, for the conveniency of catching the 
wind which moves him slowly upon the surface of the sea 
in any direction he wishes. Under the bladder hang 
down two kinds of strings, one smooth, transparent and harm- 
less, the other full of small round knobs, having much the 
appearance of small beads strung together: these he contracts 
or extends sometimes to the length of four feet. Both these 
and the others are in this species of a lovely ultramarine 
blue, but in the more common one, which is many times 
larger than this, being nearly as large as a goose’s egg, they 
are of a fine red. With these latter, however, he does his 
mischief, stinging, or burning, as it is called. If touched by 
any substance they immediately throw out millions of 
exceedingly fine white threads, about a line in length, which 
pierce the skin and adhere to it, giving very acute pain. 
When the animal thrusts them out of the little knobs or 
beads which are not in contact with some substance they can 
pierce, they appear very visibly to the naked eye like small 
fibres of snow-white cotton. 
13th. Shooting as usual, but saw no new bird except a 
gannet, which came not near me. Of these for four or five 
days past I have killed a good many, indeed, during the 
whole time they have been tame and appeared unknowing 
and unsuspicious of men, the generality of them flying to 
the boat as soon as they saw it, which is generally the case 
at great distances from land. Took up Dagysa vitrea and 
gemma, Medusa radiata and porpita, Heliw ianthina, very 
large Doris complanata, and Beroe biloba: saw a large shoal 
1 See footnote, p. 15. 
