stems, and surprises one with its uncouth, almost shapeless form, and leather-like consistence. But the most vivacious, and therefore the most amusing of the denizens of this floating forest that I found, were the different sorts of crabs and shrimps that abounded in it. Their numbers, their variety, the brilliant hues of many, the peculiarities of structure that fitted them for an ocean-life, the instincts which impelled the strong to prey on the weaker, and the latter to escape, with the watchfulness, cunning, agility, and artful devices continually brought into exercise by both parties in this predatory warfare, afforded an instructive entertainment for many an hour. It would make this letter far too long, if I were to describe in detail all that was interesting to me as a naturalist. The ocean, like the land, is peculiarly prolific in the manifestations of life, beneath the genial influence of the vernal sun; and in the latitudes which I was now traversing, the forms of animal existence assume astonishing variety and brilliancy. That splendid creature, the coryphene, or dolphin of mariners, was a frequent visitant to our little craft; the spotted rudder-fish, and the purple-banded pilot, were often seen beneath the stern: that strange fish, the remora, would occasionally fasten itself by the curious mechanism of its coronal shield to the vessel's quarter, or to the side of some lurking shark, thus taking a ride, like those dishonest boys who jump up behind a passing coach, without expense. Shoals of playful porpoises would gambol round us, and presently troop off in haste as suddenly as they came, and the direful shark was rarely absent, the constant object of hope and fear to sailors,-hope, that they may catch the shark; fear lest, by any mischance, the shark may catch them. Nor is this fear quite groundless, as an unexpected plunge overboard may at any time occur. One of our crew, attempting to strike a dolphin with the harpoon, had posted himself on the taffrail; but in his eagerness, reaching too far, followed his weapon overboard with a splash. I was surprised to see what little impression he made in the water, though falling from such a height; he did not even go beneath the surface, but fell just as a cork would fall into water. His shipmates gave him the end of a rope and hauled him up, amidst some jokes upon his zeal for fishing; though he looked rather serious about it. A flying-fish would now and then start from a heaving wave, and skim the surface like a bird upon the wing; and many "feathered fowl" were ready to repay the complimentary visit, by diving into the domain-proper of the fish. The petrels, familiar and confiding, trode the yielding billows, or hovered around our vessel as night came on, to the uneasiness of the seamen, who deemed them the presiding spirits of the coming tempest, though, I am sure, most libellously. These little birds are quite silent by day, except that they sometimes utter a faint chirp; but at night they often make an unpleasant screaming. They are the smallest of webb-footed birds, being scarcely so large as a swallow, to which, in their manner of flight, they bear a considerable resemblance. These little observations, trivial as they were, served to beguile the weariness of the "calm latitudes;" and after we had exercised patience awhile, we were favoured with a fair easterly breeze, which soon freshened, and proved the regular trade-wind. You are aware that on both sides of the equator, within the tropics, the wind constantly blows from the eastward with great regularity; a circumstance which, if Columbus had been acquainted with it, might have materially shortened his voyage, and saved him much anxiety of mind and many a sleepless night. Borne on the wings of this welcome gale, we soon caught sight of Abaco, one of the Bahamas, which we rapidly passed at about two miles' distance. I looked on this spot with very peculiar feelings; the sight of land after a voyage is always grateful, but these southern islands, with their rich and splendid productions, had always been clothed in my imagination with a halo that made them fairy land. Then, too, the poetic associations of their history this was the first group that gladdened the heart of the chivalric WORLD-FINDER,-the first-fruits of that vast continent which the genius and daring of one master-mind opened to admiring Europe. Here he found the meed of his toils, the recompense of his sufferings; here his mighty spirit triumphed, exulted, in the realization of his fondest dreams, and in that hour he lived a life; and here I looked on the very scene of his glory. I had lived to behold the Bahamas; it was an era in my existence! My eyes were strained to their utmost, that I might lose no constituent of the landscape, and yet "they were not satisfied with secing." I looked eagerly to see any feature of a tropical landscape, and I was gratified by the sight of some of the palms, a low species, with large, broad leaves, probably one of the fanpalms, as well as some members of the plantain tribe (musa). The south end of the island is high and precipitous; and there is a very singular rock, which has a large vaulted perforation, like the arch of a bridge; this is called the Hole in the Wall, and as it is a very remarkable place, vessels generally endeavour to "make" it, in entering this part of the Gulf of Mexico. While in sight of this land, two beautiful sloops of war passed us, beating out of the Channel, both of which displayed at the gaff end my own country's flag, that "meteor flag," which has "braved a thousand years, The battle and the breeze." I gazed on it with pride and pleasure, not having seen it before for nearly three years. A little land-bird flew from one to the other, and then towards us, seemingly seeking a resting-place, but without alighting. I took it to be one of the Sylvia. Them and the Hole in the Wall we soon left far behind, as we ran before the freshening "trade," and passing island after island, soon came in sight of the countless little kays, or islets, on the Florida reef. The water on this reef is very shoal, which is strongly indicated by its colour; instead of the deep blue tint which marks the ocean, the water here is of a bright pea-green, caused by the nearness of the yellow sands at the bottom; and the shallower the water, the paler is the tint. To me it is very pleasing to peer down into the depths below, especially in the clear water of these southern seas, and look at the many-coloured bottom,-sometimes a bright pearly sand, spotted with shells and corals, then a large patch of brown rock, whose gaping clefts and fissures are but half hidden by the waving tangles of purple weed, where multitudes of shapeless creatures revel and riot undisturbed. I While swiftly gliding over these shoals, we observed many large green turtles (Chelonia mydas) swimming on the surface. Some of them appeared to be six feet in length; but they were too wary to allow us to approach nearer than a few yards, diving as we came up to them. But far more numerous were those singularly beautiful Medusa (Physalia pelagica). Almost all one day we were sailing through a fleet of these little mimic ships, which studded the smooth sea as far as the eye could reach; they were of all sizes, from an inch in length to a foot or more. have often seen individuals, in crossing the Atlantic at different times, but never anything approaching to such numbers as were here assembled. The animal consists of an oblong transparent membranous bladder, pinched up at the upper part into a kind of rumpled edge; this edge is delicate pink, the bottom is fine blue, and both these colours are gradually blended into the clear membrane, the middle of which is colourless. From one end of the bottom proceeds a large bunch of tentacula, like strings; the middle ones, two or three feet long, hanging down in the water; these are of a brilliant purple hue: these support it in the water, and enable it to regain its upright position when overturned by the sea. The brilliance of the colours varies much, some being only of a pure white. They differ much also in beauty of form: in some the sail is merely a narrow ridge or border, in others it rises into a wide and semicircular membrane. The hanging tentacula have, in a very strong degree, the power of stinging the hand of any one who touches them, the effects of which are seriously violent. I think this little fairy creature is one of the most beautiful of the many beautiful things which old Neptune has in his cabinet of curiosities. When floating on the broad wave, its resemblance to a ship in full sail is very striking, and one wonders to see so frail a bark breasting the grim billows, as it would seem that every breaking sea must overwhelm it and dash it to pieces. Yet there it floats most gallantly, and continues to float in spite of wind and wave, now on the lofty crest, now in the deep hollow. Often when passing just under the lee of a vessel, the sudden lull made by the interposition of so great a body between it and the wind, will cause it momentarily to lie flat on the water, instantly resuming its upright position. This "dousing its sails," our sailors delight to consider as an act of homage done to the British flag. I do not believe that it has the power of emptying itself of air, and consequently of sinking at pleasure. I have seen them thrown up on a beach, dead as I suppose, and in that state the membrane was not at all collapsed, but as inflated as when floating. Hitherto we had kept the trade wind, and had consequently made rapid progress. We were already within sight of the last kay, or islet, of that long range called the Reef, when the sky began to blacken, and the clouds to gather to the westward, and the wind suddenly flew round to that quarter, and blew with great violence; so we dropped anchor at once, just under some green little islands marked in the charts as Cayo Boca and Cayo Marquess. While lying here, in two fathoms water, in torrents of rain, the crew were busy fishing, in which they had much success. Some of the fishes they obtained were of great beauty, which I will endeavour to describe. The most numerous kind was a thick-set fish of considerable size, called a groper, covered with olive-coloured irregular spots; the inside of the mouth and throat was of a brilliant vermillion. Another kind, which they called, though by a misnomer, a yellow-tail, had its body marked with longitudinal bands of delicate pink and yellow alternately; the fins were bright yellow, and the tail fine pale crimson. There was another somewhat like this, but much larger, that they denominated a market-fish, of a ruddy silvery tint, with very large scales, the fins and tail bright crimson. Then there was a hog-fish, of singular beauty, shaped somewhat like a perch with silvery grey scales, the head marked all over with fantastic streaks of brilliant violet blue, like the stripes on a zebra's head. In these tropical seas, even the very fishes, which in our climate are almost universally marked by an unvarying dulness of tint, partake of the same rich and gorgeous colouring, with which nature has delighted to bedeck the insects and birds of these paradisaical groves. These, however, were of the genera Sparus and Labrus; the sea-breams and wrasses, tribes which might be called the parrots and finches of the finny race, for their gorgeous colours. Still, even here there is deformity; these beauties had the advantage of a foil in the visage of the cat-fish (Silurus catus, LINN.), a monster of remarkably hideous aspect; and in some young sharks, which could not resist the temptation of a baited hook. For myself, I cannot say I very deeply regretted the delay of our progress, caused by the unpropitious wind; for I entertained hopes, if the rain should abate, to have the gratification of ransacking these little isles, which lay so green and so tantalizing, at about a quarter of a mile distant, just near enough to awaken without gratifying curiosity. But the next morning the sun shone gloriously, and the wind continuing in statu quo, even our unimaginative, matter-of-fact captain, proposed to row ashore, and take a peep at Cayo Boca; and I warmly seconded his proposition. We rowed for a long beach of white sand, and immediately on landing, I ran with eagerness into the bushes armed with my insect-net. I expected to behold a gorgeous display of brightwinged tropical insects, and to make a rich harvest, to provide for which I had loaded myself with boxes. To my disappointment, however, insects were by no means abundant; probably owing to the peculiar nature of the vegetation, which consisted almost wholly of bushes having thick saline leaves, of which there might be a dozen varieties, and a few sedges. The soil was nothing but sand, composed of minute fragments of shells and corals; on close examination, I could not discover a particle of anything else: a great part of the island was overflowed by the sea. I saw Vanessa orithya and a little brown Hesperia-these were the only butterflies: a few insignificant moths, a small brown Libellula, an Agrion with blue wings, a large and handsome yellow wasp, a large green locust, an ichneumon, and some Musca, made up the totale of VOL. II. E |