t with some of them in Crutwell's
Gazeteer.--E.]

On the next day, Saturday the 24th, we came into the north-east
trade-wind, and on Friday the 30th saw Bona Vista, one of the Cape de
Verd Islands; we ranged the east side of it, at the distance of three or
four miles from the shore, till we were obliged to haul off to avoid a
ledge of rocks which stretch out S.W. by W. from the body, or S.E. point
of the island, to the extent of a league and a half. Bona Vista by our
observation lies in latitude 16 deg. N. and longitude 21 deg. 51' west.

On the 1st of October, in latitude 14 deg. 6' N. and longitude 32 deg. 10' W. we
found the variation by a very good azimuth to be 10 deg. 37' W. and the next
morning it appeared to be 10 deg.. This day we found the ship five miles
a-head of the log, and the next day seven. On the 3d, hoisted out the
boat to discover whether there was a current, and found one to the
eastward, at the rate of three quarters of a mile an hour.

During our course from Teneriffe to Bona Vista we saw great numbers of
flying fish, which from the cabin-windows appear beautiful beyond
imagination, their sides having the colour and brightness of burnished
silver; when they are seen from the deck they do not appear to so much
advantage, because their backs are of a dark colour. We also took a
shark, which proved to be the _Squalus Carcharias_ of Linnaeus.

Having lost the trade-wind on the 3d, in latitude 12 deg.14', and longitude
22 deg.10', the wind became somewhat variable, and we had light airs and
calms by turns.

On the 7th, Mr Banks went out in the boat, and took what the seamen call
a Portuguese man of war; it is the _Holuthuria Physalis_ of Linnaeus,
and a species of the _Mollusca_. It consisted of a small bladder about
seven inches long, very much resembling the air-bladder of fishes, from
the bottom of which descended a number of strings of a bright blue and
red, some of them three or four feet in length, which upon being touched
sting like a nettle, but with much more force. On the top of the bladder
is a membrane which is used as a sail, and turned so as to receive the
wind which way soever it blows: This membrane is marked in fine
pink-coloured veins, and the animal is in every respect an object
exquisitely curious and beautiful.

We also took several of the shell-fishes, or testaceous animals, which
are always found floating upon the water, particularly the _Helix
Janthina_ and _Violacea_; the