NOTES ON BRAZIL. 



21 



appeared smooth and glossy ; the ripple generally caused by the breeze 

 was perfectly allayed, and the grease of the animal had been so spread 

 upon the water as to permit the air to sweep smoothly over its surface ; 

 but the ground-swell, the body of the billow, was left unaltered. 

 Here then we saw clearly demonstrated the fallacy of those plans which 

 were propagated many years ago, for allaying, by means of oil, the 

 turbulence of a tempest ; and the ignorance of the projectors, who could 

 never have witnessed the violence of water in a highly wrought state of 

 commotion. As we approached the body to leeward, for we could not 

 fetch it though braced sharply up, the smell became very offensive. 

 The boat sent to examine it ascertained that it was a male, that the tail 

 was forked, that the head had been severed from the body, perhaps by a 

 natural process of decay, and that thousands of different species of fishes 

 were feeding on the ruins, forgetful of their mutual hostility. Perhaps 

 fishes are driven to prey upon each other, in ordinary cases, only by a 

 sense of hunger, or a consciousness of power. Off the Abrolhos we 

 saw two of these unwieldy creatures in a very sportive mood ; they 

 raised their enormous bulks, in an upright position, high above the water, 

 and then fell sideways upon it with a weight which caused the waves 

 to recoil, and discharge a spray to an astonishing extent around. We 

 were glad to recede from such a neighbourhood, although pleased and 

 surprised at the singularity and grandeur of the scene. 



Turtles are by no means uncommon in the South American seas. 

 They are generally of the Hawkes-bill kind, and sometimes grow to a 

 very large size. We took one off the harbour of Rio de Janeiro, which 

 measured five feet in length, three in breadth, and was nearly two feet 

 thick. It seemed old, and was almost covered with Barnacles. When 

 taken it appeared healthy, but, twenty-four hours afterwards, was 

 attacked by a disease similar to a prolapsus ani. The protrusion was of 

 a conical shape, twelve inches long, and as many round, with a stricture 

 near to the body. It became green and putrid, and therefore, although 

 the animal showed no symptoms of pain, we restored it to the ocean, in 

 which it sunk immediately. 



