22

Bahia

1832 Diodon (132)

March 10th a Diodon (132) was caught swimming in its unexpanded form near to the shore.— Length about an inch: above blackish brown, beneath spotted with yellow.— Above On head four soft projections; the upper ones longer like the feelers of a snail.— Eye with pupil dark blue; iris yellow mottled with black.—

(a) The dorsal caudal & anal fins are so close together that they act as one. the animal propels its body by using these posterior fins in same manner as a boat is sculled, that is by moving them rapidly from side to side with an oblique surface exposed to the water.— The pectoral fins have great play, which is necessary to enable the animal to swim with his its back downwards.— When handled a considerable quantity of a fine "Carmine red" fibrous secretion was emitted from the abdomen & stained paper, ivory &c of a high colour.— The fish has several means of defence it can bite hard & can squirt water to some distance from its Mouth, making at the same time a curious noise with its jaws.— After being taken out of water for a short time & then placed in again, it absorbed by the mouth (perhaps likewise by the branchial apertures) a considerable quantity of water & air, sufficient to distend its body into a perfect globe.— This process is effected by two methods; chiefly by gulping the air is swallowed

[22v]

(a): there, as well as the pectorals are in & continued tremulous motion, even when the fish is otherwise motionless ─

23

Bahia

1832

Diodon Swallowing the air & water & then forced it into the inside cavity of the body, its return being prevented by a muscular contraction which is externally visible: but also when the mouth was distended & motionless I observed a stream of water flowing in. this must have been caused

[in margin:] (a) Back of page

by the dilatation of the animal producing suction.— When the body was is thus distended, the papillæ with which it was is covered with papillæ which by this action become stiff, the above mentioned ones tentacula on the head must being excepted.— The animal thus being so much buoyed up, the branchial openings was are out of water, but a stream regularly flowed out of it them which was as constantly replenished by the mouth.—

After having remained in this state for a short time, the body was emptied of the air & water would be expelled with considerable force from the branchial apertures & the mouth.— The animal at its pleasure could emit a certain portion of the water & I think it is clear that this water is taken in to partly for the sake of regulating the specific gravity of its body.— The skin about the abdomen is much looser than that on the back & in consequence is by far the is most distended; from same reason hence the animal swims with its back downwards.— Cuvier doubts their being able to swim when in this position; but they clearly

[23v]

(a) No. 134

(a) The water however I observed entered in a stream through the mouth, which was distended wide open & motionless; hence this latter action must have been caused by some kind of suction

24

Bahia

1832

Diodon can not only swim forward, but also move round.— this they do effect, not like other fish by the action of their tails, but by collapsing the caudal fins, they move only by their pectorals.— When placed in fresh water seemed singularly little inconvenienced.—

Vespertilio (a) (134) Caught March 10th by flying into a room: it is an old female: This species would I think according to Dic. Class: be a new Species genus: but from Cuvier sparing description is a 'Phyllosome sans queue'. My specimen however by Dic Class does not agree with its teeth with this sub-division. Copied— Head broard flattened.— 4 incisors in each jaw; of the superior two center ones longest & bifid: Lower ones equal & slightly bifid.— Canine very sharp. superior ones nearly twice as long as the inferior.— 8 other teeth in the upper & 10 in lower jaw.— Nose with a flat semicircular membrane, retracted posteriorly & projecting upwards (or rt angles to the flat part) .3 of inch. lunar shaped with a fold or crease on each side.— No tail: membrane between thighs retracted. Ears oval with an interior denticulate pointed fold at base.—

Body above darkish "clove brown". beneath much paler; wings (especially lower parts) dull "velvet black" with an irregular transparent colourless space at extremities.

[24v]

(a) No 352 (not in spirits)

[page gap]

(Scarus chlorodon Jan Keeling.)

25

Bahia

1832

Vespertilio Breadth from tip to tip 18 inches. Length from head to extremity of abdomen nearly 4.— Cuvier divides bats into those with three bony phalanges in middle finger & in 2 in all other & into those with one in index & 2 on all others.— I think this Species belongs to first division but I cannot perceive the 2 osseous joints in the index.— copied

Elater (352) Caught March 10th Elater (noctilucus) & took the opportunity of examining their its springing apparatus. It appears to me that this has not been well described in Dic. Class:.— When the insect prepares to jump it bends backwards the head & thorax.— by this process the spine is drawn out & the point rests on the edge of its tube.— a very little motion is sufficient for this, as in the usual position of animal the spine is only inserted a little way in the tube.— the muscles now having a fulcrum to act on the insect exerts its whole force & spine like a spring is bent.— The animal at this moment rests on its head & top of Eytra & upon suddenly relaxing its efforts the head & thorax fly up & the spine suddenly is inserted in the tube.— by this this action the base of Elytra strikes

[25v]

X (a) Dic Class The Author seems to think that the insect strikes the supporting surface with its head, thorax & tip of Eytra, & that previous to the spring it bends its thorax inwards instead of in the contrary direction.—

26

Bahia

1832

Elater the supporting surface & by the reaction the insect is thrown up in the air: It is precisely the same as when a spring curved at its extremities is forcibly held flat bowed in the contrary direction & this being loosed will spring upwards.—

The spine is notched at the end.— The points at base of thorax appear to serve as guys to steady it when the animal drawn backwards; as likewise this does the sheath of the spine during the spring seems to act in a similar manner.—

(a) In the account given in Dic: Class: stress is not sufficiently laid on the bowing of the spine; & it is this which explains the extraordinary manner in which the Elaters jump.—

The light from the spots on thorax was brilliant & green.— it varied in intensity, being most brightest when the insect was annoyed.— There appeared to be a sort of internal pulsation within the bright spot.—

General Obser: Bahia The sand on the beach is of a brilliant white colour & composed of minute grains of quartz: when walked over the friction of the particles caused a curious high note or chirp: The temperature of this sand a few inches beneath the surface was 108 in the open rays of the sun.— A person

[26v]

(a) No. 357 & 358 (not in spirits)

(b) 1832 March Does Are not the Hydradephaga remarkably constant in their forms in different stations & habitations. England: Patagonia: Tierra del Fuego: Cape Verds & Brazil:—

27

Bahia

1832

General Obser: Bahia in a hot country might with closed eyes tell what colour the ground was on which he was walking.— The effects of reflection from a white surface preponderating those of radiation from a dark.—

Zoology

I was surprised at the scarceness of birds: the extreme thickness of the vegetation seems only to suit a few tribes.—

Begin Within the Tropic the insects take a more prominent part in the animal kingdom: the woods resound with their noise especially of the Orthop Hemipterous tribes as Cicada & the eye is attracted by the gay and beautiful colours of the butterflies: these bespeak the Zone they inhabit far more plainly than the Coleoptera. The latter by their smallness, dark colours & European form much surprised me.— The genera that were most abundant were Haltica & Galeruca (or closely allied to it) & Curculio.—

Note (b) It was singular to find in the fresh water Berosus5 & Hydroporus. ─

Carabidous insects were rare. I only found three species, one Scarites and two Truncatipennis (Sebia & Odacantha ?).— The wonderful number of Ants perhaps supply the place of these butchers of the colder climes.—

Formica (a) On first entering a Tropical forest one of the most striking things is the incessant Labour of the Ants.— The paths in every

[27v]

(b) August 20th. It is evident I have confounded the nest of the Termite with the real ants performing their marvellous labours.—

(a) if it had previously been there, they would have done so.— In a few seconds another larger body returned to the attack, but they not succeeding in moving the stone, this line of direction was entirely given up.— End

28

Bahia

1832 Feb 29th March 17th

General Obser: Bahia (not spirits) 359… 364 &c (not spirits)

direction. are traversed by hosts of them carrying parts of leaves larger than themselves & reminding one of the moving forest of Birnam in Macbeth: Most of the trees contain large nests, which are 3 or 4 feet in length & 2 or 3 in breadth.— Some of the smaller species migrate in large bodies.—

357, 358 (not spirits) ─One day my attention was drawn by many spiders, Blattaæ10 & other insects rushing in the greatest agitation across a bare bit of ground.— Behind this every stalk & leaf was blackened by a small ant: They crossed the open space till they arrived at a piece of old wall on the side of the road.— Here the swarm divided & descended on each side, by this many insects were fairly enclosed: & the efforts which the poor little creatures made to extricate themselves from such a death were wonderful surprising.— When the ants came to the road they changed their course & in narrow files reascended the wall & proceeding along one side in the course of a few hours (all when I returned) they all had disappeared.—

When a small stone was placed in the track of one of their files, the whole of them first attacked it & then immediately backed retired: it would not on the open space have been one inch out of their way to have gone round the obstacle, & doubtless (a) End

[28v]

(a) 386 (not spirits)

29

1832 March 23d

Mucor Mucor growing on green ginger: colour yellow, length from 1/20 to 1/15 of an inch.— Diameter of stalk .001, of ball at extremity .006.— Stalk transparent, cylindrical for about 1/10 of length, near to ball, it is flattened. angular & rather broarder: Terminal spherule full of grains, .0001 in diameter & sticking together in planes: When placed in water the ball partially burst & sent forth with granules large bubbles of air.— A rush of fluid was visible in the stalk or cylinder.— If merely breathed on, the spherule was expanded itself & three conical semitransparent projections were formed on surface.— (Much in the same manner as is seen in Pollen) These cones in a short time visibly were contracted & drawn within the spherule.—

Mantis (a) (386) copied Caught at Bahia on the 17th a Mantis & as I thought killed it by holding for several minutes under water that was boiling, the head & thorax (to the insertion of the wings) & anterior legs.— These parts shortly were completely dead & became dry & brittle: but eight days afterwards on the 25th the abdomen & hinder legs continued to possess a slight degree of irritability.— This appears a well marked instance of the tenaciously tenacity of life amongst insects.

[29v]

(a) no 158 – Cuvier mentions the fact about the above

(b) .. 156 & 157

(c) Tempera: of Sea {On approaching this bank at 4 P.M. no change of temperature was visible perceptible, the thermometer keeping at 82°. At 10 P M no bottom with 140 fathoms, & the thermometer instead of rising is at 81°.

The following is a table of thermometrical changes during crossing and recrossing the bank.

[Table]

During this day (28th) the colour of sea varied, being sometimes black "Indigo blue", in evening very green.—

This table shows in some cases how little the Thermometer is affected. during the 26th & 27th, when not close to the Island, the mean of temp no bottom (at the lowest) at 150 fathom is within a very small fraction of degree of that when sounding were at most 30.— On 28th the mean was 3 degrees lower than that of the 2 days previous: & we were then rapidly nearing the Islands.

30

March

1832

Janthina (a) The sea in Lat 18°6′ S & Long 36°6′ W. on the 26th contained numbers of specimens of Janthina.— Most of them were very small: the animal of rather a larger shell protruded itself & was of the same violet colour as the shell.— When touched emitted a fine purple colour. M. Rangs states it to be de "couleur Laquesce

Fish (b) In the above Lat & Long caught 2 specimens of a fish; belly silvery white, mottled with brownish black. side blueish with dusky greenish markings. Iris yellow with dark blue pupil. Caudal fin with a pink tinge: these fish were 120 from the nearest land above water, namely Albrolhos:— but the shoals are considerably nearer.

Colour of Sea (c) I had been struck by the beautiful colour of the sea when seen through the chinks of a straw hat.— To day 26th. Lat 18°6′ S: Long 36°6′ W. it was according to Werner nomenclature "Indigo with a little Azure blue". The sky at the time was "Berlin with little Ultra marine blue" & there were some cirro.cumili1 scattered about.— No bottom could be found 230 fathoms.— After running about 6 knots, soundings gave 30 fathoms & coral bottom, yet there was no change in the colour of the sea.—

Oily matter on surface To day at noon I observed the sea covered with an oily matter.— The thin globules

[30v]

(a) No soundings with 250 fathoms.

(b) Bory St Vincent says that the Oscillaria when joined very soon loose their power of motion. Dic Class:

(c) In one hour & 1/2 afterwards having run 2 & 1/2 knots the water had its greasy covering.

(a) An appearance similar to this one was seen between Canary & Cape de Verd at about 1/2 a mile distance from the ship.

(a) No not spirits 390, 391.

(d) Octob 23d. South of Corrientes: I observe some of the Pelagic Amphipods contain in the intestinal vessels a considerable quantity of coloured oil:— Entomostraca The number of these Crustacea is often quite infinite

(e) Mr Brown seems to have observed these Oscillariæ on the South shore of Australia. "particles 1/20 length, composed of cohering jointed fibres, of unequal length, so that the compound particle appeared as if torn" Flinders Voyage Vol 1 P 926:—