318

Galapagos

1835 September

Spawn SESE SE by E miles from the group of the Galapagos in the open sea, out of sight of land.— a strip of water NNE & SSW, some miles long, slightly convoluted a few yards wide, was of a very yellow mud color.— In a bucket, whole surface was covered by little nearly transparent balls in contact.— These were of two sorts.— (1st) irregular globes, the largest .2 inch in diameter: of transparent gelatinous matter, with I believe water in centre; thickly & equidistantly studded by semi-opake white little sphæres.— These are imbedded very superficially; are sphærical 1/200in in diameter.— The (2d) kind nearly the same balls rather larger reddish. The gelatinous matter divided into several distinct sphæres, united by similar substance.— The ovules rather smaller, opake red, in rather greater numbers, imbedded very superficially over whole surface, the separate sphæres & interstices.— I do not know to what animal these extraordinary numerous ovules belong.— After passing this first: There were two other similar streaks.— Of all the appearances which Sailors call "Spawn", this is the first which deserves this name.—

[318v]

(a) Also within the Archipelago there were the same kinds: What force keeps these globules in such close order & for a length of such greatness.— Are they the eggs of fish or rather of Molluscous Pteropidous?? Capt Colnett mentions much spawn as being near these Islands.— He says that the direction of bands points out that of the stream of the ocean.— Are they then Spawned in one spot (& like a river carries the brown foam from an eddy) on the edge of a Current, which sweeps them away as it encroaches on the body?— A Ball of foam in the centre from a river often becomes untwisted into a river ribbon?— Capt. FitzRoy remarks they now are parallel to N & S the direction of the Winds, viz N & S. The difficulty of accounting for the ribbons is not much less.— Without supposing they attract each other.—