I confess, however, there is a very great difficulty
in imagining any one spot to be the birthplace of the millions
of millions of animalcula and confervae: for whence come
the germs at such points? - the parent bodies having been
distributed by the winds and waves over the immense ocean.
But on no other hypothesis can I understand their linear
grouping. I may add that Scoresby remarks that green
water abounding with pelagic animals is invariably found
in a certain part of the Arctic Sea.
[1] I state this on the authority of Dr. E. Dieffenbach, in his
German translation of the first edition of this Journal.
[2] The Cape de Verd Islands were discovered in 1449. There was
a tombstone of a bishop with the date of 1571; and a crest of a
hand and dagger, dated 1497.
[3] I must take this opportunity of acknowledging the great
kindness with which this illustrious naturalist has examined
many of my specimens. I have sent (June, 1845) a full account
of the falling of this dust to the Geological Society.
[4] So named according to Patrick Symes's nomenclature.
[5] See Encyclop. of Anat. and Physiol., article Cephalopoda
[6] Mr. Horner and Sir David Brewster have described
(Philosophical Transactions, 1836, p. 65) a singular
"artificial substance resembling shell." It is deposited in
fine, transparent, highly polished, brown-coloured laminae,
possessing peculiar optical properties, on the inside of a
vessel, in which cloth, first prepared with glue and then
with lime, is made to revolve rapidly in water. It is much
softer, more transparent, and contains more animal matter,
than the natural incrustation at Ascension; but we here
again see the strong tendency which carbonate of lime and
animal matter evince to form a solid substance allied to
shell.
[7] Pers. Narr., vol. v., pt. 1., p. 18.
[8] M. Montagne, in Comptes Rendus, etc., Juillet, 1844; and
Annal. des Scienc. Nat., Dec. 1844
[9] M. Lesson (Voyage de la Coquille, tom. i., p. 255) mentions
red water off Lima, apparently produced by the same cause.
Peron, the distinguished naturalist, in the Voyage aux Terres
Australes, gives no less than twelve references to voyagers
who have alluded to the discoloured waters of the sea (vol.
ii. p. 239). To the references given by Peron may be added,
Humboldt's Pers. Narr., vol. vi. p. 804; Flinder's Voyage,
vol. i. p. 92; Labillardiere, vol. i. p. 287; Ulloa's Voyage;
Voyage of the Astrolabe and of the Coquille; Captain King's
Survey of Australia, etc.
CHAPTER II
RIO DE JANEIRO
Rio de Janeiro - Excursion north of Cape Frio - Great
Evaporation - Slavery - Botofogo Bay - Terrestrial
Planariae - Clouds on the Corcovado - Heavy Rain - Musical
Frogs - Phosphorescent Insects - Elater, springing powers
of - Blue Haze - Noise made by a Butterfly - Entomology -
Ants - Wasp killing a Spider - Parasitical Spider -
Artifices of an Epeira - Gregarious Spider - Spider with
an unsymmetrical Web.
