It therefore appears to me that we have, in coming from the southward to
this point, passed through three great regions, or zones, of animal life,
one extending from as far to the southward as I have yet been, namely 36
degrees south latitude to 31 degrees south latitude; this zone was
inhabited by numerous Sea-jellies (acalepha) of the smaller kind, by
porpoises and whales, as well as by immense varieties of the Petrels or
Procellariae.

The second zone extending from 31 degrees south to 22 degrees south
latitude was inhabited by immense numbers of the larger and more
beautiful kind of Sea-jellies (acalepha) particularly by those that have
the power of stinging. Within this zone I saw but one whale, one shoal of
porpoises, and not a single one of the long-winged water birds or
Petrels; in fact I but once in the whole of this distance saw any birds;
there were also here a great variety and numbers of Sea-jellies
(acalepha) of the smaller kinds. Do then the larger acalepha in this zone
perform the office of the birds in the more southern one, and prey upon
the smaller species of their own kind?

The third zone is the one with which I have commenced the journal of this
day.

WATER SNAKES.

November 29. Latitude 15 degrees 26 minutes 32 seconds south; longitude
122 degrees 3 minutes east.

We saw six or seven water snakes (Hydrus) this day, all about three feet
long, of a dirty yellow colour, with black stripes, the head black, they
were furnished with fins like an eel, were of a very graceful form, and
moved on the water exactly like a snake, with the head a little elevated;
when they dived they turned up on their backs before they sank: we caught
one of these snakes, also a moth and butterfly. A large bat (Pteropus ?)
flew about the vessel this evening and pitched several times on the boat
astern. I once struck it as it passed me, it appeared much fatigued; we
were 150 miles from the main and thirty from the nearest small sandy
island.

SHARKS.

We caught two sharks today; the sailors said that they saw fourteen or
fifteen little sharks swimming round one of these, and that when the bait
was thrown into the water and made a noise some of these swam into her
mouth: directly after they had told me this the shark was caught. I had
it opened and four young ones were found inside, two had never left the
uterus, for they were attached to it at the time, the other two were not
so attached, and were larger than the form