TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 



13 



zone equally thrive ; great heat is here united with much moisture ; 

 and there must be frequent rains, for the torrents which descend from 

 time to time have worn deep ravines and clefts in the steep sides of the 

 rocks. Eighty thousand inhabitants subsist here, chiefly by the pro- 

 duction of the wine so generally esteemed, as well as of many tine 

 fruits, oranges, bananas, lemons, &c. 



As it was not our intention to visit Funchal, the capital of Madeira, 

 we did not bring-to, but sailed on with a fresh breeze, and soon lost 

 sight of the island. A favourable trade-wdnd carried us with great 

 rapidity towards the tropic, without any particular circumstance oc- 

 curring to disturb us. Flying fish, shining like silver, rose in great 

 numbers, and darted past our ship. The nearer you approach to the 

 equator the more numerous are these fish ; before you reach the 

 tropic they are seldom seen. 



On the 6th of June, we crossed the tropic of Cancer, and hence- 

 forward derived some amusement from observing several kinds of 

 MoUuscce. In 22° 17' north latitude, w^e saw the first Plii/saiis, an ex- 

 tremely singular Mollusca*, which becomes more and more frequent 

 as you advance towards the equator, so that farther south many hun- 

 dreds rnay often be observed m one day. This singular animal has 

 already been mentioned by many navigators ; and it was therefore 

 very interesting to me, to be able to examine it more closely. The 

 larger portion of the animal, which appears above water, is a bladder 

 filled with air, which seems merely to serve to keep the upper part 

 afloat ; on the under part are eight or nine bunches of long fleshy 

 fibres, which grow out of short thick trunks, and here, at the base of 

 the bladder, form one mass. In this part resides the life of the animal ; 

 the fibres are sensible (but not the bladder), extend, contract, seize 



* See the account of this animal by M. Tilesiiis, in the third vohime of Krusensfern's 

 Voyage round the World. 



