title

AN ACCOUNT OF OBSERVATIONS


MADE DURING


THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. "CHALLENGER"



ROUND THE WORLD IN THE YEARS 1872-1876,


UNDER THE COMMAND OF

Capt. Sir G. S. NARES, R.N., K.G.B., F.R.S., and
Capt. F. T. THOMSON, R.N.
signature

BY. H. N. MOSELEY, M.A., F.R.S.

LATE FELLOW OF EXETER COLLEGE, OXFORD.

LATE LINACRE PROFESSOR OF HUMAN AND COMPARATIVE ANATOMY IN THE

UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.


LONDON

T. WERNER LAURIE, LTD.

COBHAM HOUSE, 24-26 BLACK FRIARS LANE, E.C.4


Reproduced from original documents in his personal library.

Copyright © 2003 by Dr. David C. Bossard

 
 Portrait of H. N. Moseley

Introduction  ix.  x.

CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I.

TENERIFE. ST. THOMAS. BERMUDA.

Circumstances of the Voyage. Tenerife. Cochineal Plantations. Excursions up the Peak. Trade-wind Cloud. Zones of Vegetation. Sunset seen above the Clouds. Rabbits and other Animals on the Peak. Peculiar Spider's Web. Catching Sharks off Sombrero Island, West Indies. Appearance and Habits of Remora. Pilot Fish. Island of St. Thomas. Calcareous Seaweeds. Sea Urchins with Poisoned Spines. Burrowing Spider. Nest of Termites. Pelicans edible. Sand-box Tree. Defensive Colouring of Spines of Cacti. Beach Conglomerate. Sea-beans. Bermuda. Calcareous Sand-rock. Caves. Vegetation. Peat. Boatswain Birds. Land Nemertine. Corals in Caves.
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CHAPTER II.

AZORES. MADEIRA. CAPE VERDES.

Fayal Island, Azores. Porpoises on the Feed. Town of Horta. Peculiar Dress of the Women. Island of Pico. St. Michael's Island. Native Ferns and Australian-introduced Trees. The Threshing Floor and Women at the Mill. Vegetation of the Azores. Hot Springs at Furnas. Plants Growing in the Hot Water. Caldeira des Sette Cidades. Madeira. Grand Cural. Curious Caps worn by the Men. The Island at Sunset. St. Vincent Island, Cape Verdes. Vegetation of the Island. Ascent of Green Mountain. Different Causes of Variation of Vegetation with Altitude. Structure of Basaltic Dykes. Calcareous Seaweeds on Bird Island. Habits of Crabs. Miniature Oasis. Flying Gurnet Hooked. Mode of Catching Bonito. Island of Fogo. Porto Praya, St. Jago Island. Use of Foot in Feeding by Kites. Kingfisher and Galinis. Hauling the Seine. A Large Shark. San Domingo Valley. Monkeys. Remarkable Freshwater Crustacean, Limestone Band in the Cliff of the Harbour
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CHAPTER III.

ST. PAUL'S ROCKS AND FERNANDO NORONHA.

St. Paul's Rocks. Equatorial Current. Nests of Noddies. Predatory Habits of Grapsus strigosus. Fishing off the Rocks. Nests of Boobies. Pugnacity of the Young Birds. Other Inhabitants of the Rocks. Fishing for Cavalli with Salmon Tackle. Geological Structure of the Rocks. Seaweeds growing on the Rocks. Fernando Noronha. Calcareous Sandrock containing Volcanic Intermixture. Tree Shedding Leaves in Dry Season. Fatropha urens. Birds. Brazilian Convicts. St. Michael's Mount. Frigate Birds Nesting. Pigeons Nesting with Sea Birds. Lizards of the islands.
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CHAPTER IV.


BAHIA.

Harbour and Town of Bahia. Religious Procession. Black Angels. Land Planarians. Clicking Butterfly. Primæval Forest. Shooting Humming Birds and Toucans. Caxoeira. Mewing Toads. Excursion to Feira St. Anna. Mule Riding. Former Highway Robbers. Inn at Feira St. Anna and its Guests. The Fair. Anteaters Eaten as Medicine. Vaqueiros. Tailing Cattle. Horse Dealing. German Settler in the Country. Driving Cattle in the Bush. Farm Slaves. Preparation of Cassava. Over-burdened Ant. Three-toed Sloth. Slavery in Brazil.
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CHAPTER V.


TRISTAN DA CUNHA, INACCESSIBLE ISLAND, NIGHTINGALE ISLAND.

Settlement of the Island. Geological Structure. Vegetation. Temperature of Fresh Water. Phylica arborea. Rigorous Climate. Condition of the Settlers. Inaccessible Island. Rock-hopper Penguins. Tussock Grass. Penguin Rookeries. Peculiar Land Birds. Noddies and other Sea Birds. Southern Skuas. Wild Swine. Change of Habits of Penguins. Nightingale Island. Vast Penguin Rookery. Seal Caves. Rocks Worn by the Feet of the Penguins. Mollymauks and their Nests. Derivation of Seamen's Names for Southern Animals. Dogs run Wild in a Penguin Rookery. Migrations of Penguins and Seals. Insects, etc., of the Group. Flowering Seasons. Sea Beans. Relations of the Flora.
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CHAPTER VI.


CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

Aspect and Formation of the Country. Simons Bay. Appearance of the Vegetation. The Road to Cape Town. The Silver Tree. Habits of Baboons. The Rock Rabbit. Habits of Rodent Moles. Kitchen Middens. Burial Places of Natives. Antelopes. An Ostrich Farm. Tracks of Animals in the Sand. Great Variety of Flowering Plants. Clawless Otter. Land Planarians. Chameleon. Jackass Penguins. Bdellostoma. Rare Whale with Long Tusks. Peripatus carpensis, the Ancestor of Insects. The Turacou.
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CHAPTER VII.


PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDS. THE CROZET ISLANDS.

Appearance and Formation of Marion Island. Vegetation of the Island. Azorella selago. Limit of Vegetation in Altitude. Relations of the Flora. Former Extension of Land in this Region. Nesting of the Great Albatross. Mode of Courtship. Skuas. "Johnny" Penguins. Rock Hoppers. Rookeries of King Penguins. Absurd appearance of the Young Birds. Singular Modc of Incubation. Habits of Sheath-bills. Appearance of the Crozet islands. Tree-trunks found in the Islands by former Voyagers.
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CHAPTER VIII.


KERGUELEN'S LAND.

Position of the island, its Mountains and Fjords. Active Volcano. Christmas Harbour, Sea Elephants and Fur Seals. Shooting Teal. The Kerguelen Cabbage. Wingless Flies and Gnats. Vegetation at Successive Heights. Fossil Wood. Rookeries of Rock Hopper and Macaroni Penguins. Pengums 1nhabiting a Cave. Betsy Cove. Glaciation of the Land Surface. Iceborne Rocks. Excavation of the Fjords. Beds of Burnt Coal. The Sea Leopard. Killing Sea Elephants. Nature of the Trunk of the Sea Elephant. Carrion Birds. The Giant Petrel. Habits of Several Burrowing Petrels. The Diving Petrel. Habits of Sheath Bills. Struggle for Existence amongst the Birds. Mode of Whaling amongst the Kelp.
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CHAPTER IX.


HEARD ISLAND.

Diatoms on the Sea Surface. Macdonald Island. Whisky Bay, Heard Island. Coast-line composed of Glaciers. Structure of the Glaciers. Terminal and Lateral Moraines. Glacier Stream. Rocks cut by Natural Sand Blast. Lava Flow and Denuded Crater. Scanty Vegetation. Range in Elevation of Arctic and Southern Plants Compared. Mode of Hunting Sea Elephants. Habits of these Animals. Sealers Inhabiting Heard Island. Birds of the Island.
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CHAPTER X.


AMONGST THE SOUTHERN ICE.

First Iceberg Sighted. Typical Forms of Southern Bergs. Preservation of Equilibrium. Wash Lines. Caverns. Bi-tabular Bergs, How Formed. Weathering of Bergs. Stratification of ice in Bergs. Cleavage. Scarcity of Rocks on Bergs. Discoloured Bands in the Ice. Rev. Canon Moseley on the Motion of Glaciers. Colouring of Bergs. Blue Berg. Surf on the Coasts of Bergs. Scenic effects of Icebergs. Appearance of the Pack Ice. Discolouration of Ice by Diatoms. Gales of Wind amongst the Icebergs. Snowbow. Whales Blowing. Grampuses. Birds amongst the Ice. Antarctic Climate in Summer.
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CHAPTER


VICTORIA. NEW SOUTH WALES.

Excursions into the Bush near Melbourne. Opossum Snare. Tracks of the Aborigines on Tree trunks. Town of Sandhurst. The Highest Tree in the World. Aborigines on a Government Reserve. Ornithorynchus paradoxus. Leaves of Australian Trees, why Vertically Disposed. Fur-Seal in the Open Sea. Sydney Harbour. The Blue Mountains. Extavations in the Ground caused by Rain. Shooting Opossums by Moonlight. Fruit-eating Bats. Hunting Bandicoots. Browera Creek. Intimate Relation of Land and Sea Animals. Geological Import of this. Medusa in Fresh Water. Kitchen Middens. Drawings by Aborigines. Handmarks. Trigonia and Cestracion.
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CHAPTER XII.


NEW ZEALAND. THE FRIENDLY ISLANDS. MATUKU ISLAND.

Wellington, New Zealand. The Rata Tree. Kingfisher with Littoral Habits. Peripatus. Egg Capsules of Land Planarians. The Vegetation of the Kermadec Islands. Red-coloured Muscles of the Shark. Island of Eua. General Appearance of the Island of Tongatabu. Tongan Natives. Mode of Hairdressing. Facial Expression of the Natives. A Pea jacket a Badge of Distinction. Town of Nukualofa. Dress of Tongan Women. Getting Fire by Friction. Deserted Plantations. Fruit-bats Feeding on Flowers. Herons, Tree-swifts, and other Birds. Parasitic Algæ in Foraminifera. Matuku Island, Fiji Group. The Island an Ancient Crater. Its Vegetation. Encircling Reef. Flocks of Lories. Periophthalmus, a Fish living on Land. Living Pearly Nautilus. Its Mode of Swimming. Account of the Nautilus, by Rumphius.
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CHAPTER XIII.

FIJI ISLANDS.

Position and Area of the Islands of the Group. Kandavu Island. Grindstones for Stone Adzes. Shooting Birds in the Woods. Terrestrial Hermit Crabs. Visit to a Barrier Reef. Ovalau Island. Excursion to Livoni. Fijian Convicts. Log Drum. Native Hairdressing. Kaava Drinking. Buying Stone Adzes. Excursion to Mbau Island. Structure of the Island. Na vatani tawaki. Relics of Cannibalism. Interview with King Thackombau. Connection of Wooden Drums and Bells. Excursion up the Wai Levu. Sugar Plantations at Viti. Freshwater Sharks. Joe the Pilot. Fijian Fortifications and Tombs. A Chief's House and his Children. A Missionary Meeting. Various Modes of Painting the Body. Grand Dancing Performances. Primitive Origin of Music, Poetry, and the Drama. Wesleyan Missionary. Albino Native. Congregation of Races at Levuka. Fijian Modes of Expression. Laughter. Cicatrization. The Ula. Particulars concerning Cannibalism.
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CHAPTER XIV.


NEW HEBRIDES CAPE YORK. TORRES STRAITS.

Api Island, New Hebrides. Fringing Reefs. Proofs of Elevation. Coral Living Detached. Natives of Api, their Ornaments and Weapons. Condition of Returned Labourers. Expression of the Emotions. Raine Island. Its Geological Structure. Its Vegetation. Nesting of Wideawakes. Gannets and Frigate Birds. Dead Turtles. Somerset, Cape York. Nests of White Ants. Combination of Indian and Australian Features in the Vegetation. Various Birds. Habits of the Rifle Bird. Birds Fertilizing Plants. Camp of the Blacks. Habits of these Natives. Curious Mode of Smoking. Food of the Blacks. They cannot Count higher than Three. Absolute Nudity of the Men. Coral Flats. Collection of Savage Weapons at Cape York. Wednesday Island, Torres Straits. Structure of Coral Flats. Giant Clam. Native Graves. Booby Island. A Halting Place for Birds during Migration. Many Land Birds on an Almost Bare Rock.
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CHAPTER XV.


ARU.  KE.  BANDA.  AMBOINA.  TERNATE.

Appearance of the Am Islands. Trees Transplanted by the Waves. Masses of Drift Wood. Malay Language. Ballasting a Guide. Management of Clothes during Rain. Black Country Natives. Great Height of the Trees. Nests of the Metallic Starling. Parrots and Cockatoos. Bird Winged Butterflies. Shooting Birds of Paradise at Wanumbai. Deposit of Lime in Streams. Boat Crews from the Ke Islands. Fungus Skin Disease. Ke Island Dancing. Houses at Ke Dulan. Leaf Arrows. Bird caught in a Spider's Web. Ascent of the Volcano of Banda. Algae Growing in the Hot Steam Jets. Numerous Insects at the Summit. Alteration in Sea Level, Marked on Living Corals. Nutmeg Plantations. Transportation of Seeds by Fruit-Pigeons. Saluting at Amboina. Danger to the Eyes in Diving for Corals. Raised Reefs. Myrmecodia and Hydnophytum. Moluccan Deer. Ternate Island. Chinese and their Graves. Sale of Birds of Paradise. Ascent of the Volcano. The Mountain Vegetation. The Terminal Cone. View from the Summit.
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CHAPTER XVI.


THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

Zamboanga, Mindanao Island. Paddy Fields and Buffaloes. The Lutaos and their Pile-Dwellings. Pile-Dwellings on Dry Land. The Ground Floor, a Late Addition to the First Story. Wide Distribution of Pile-Dwellings. Their Possible Origin. Dances Performed by the Lutaos. Bamboo Jew's Harp. Lutao Canoe and Weapons. Search for Birgus Latro. Birds' Eggs hatched in the Sea Sand. Alcyonarian Corals. Basilan Island. Cart-wheels cut from Living Planks. Galeopithecus and Flying Lizard. Cebu Island Mode of Dredging up Euplectella. Mactan Island, Raised Reef. Large Cerianthus. Trachytic Volcano at Camiguin Island. Temperature at which Plants can Grow in Hot Mineral Water. Manila-Hemp Plantations. Manila. Shirt Worn over Trousers. Clothes Originally Ornamental only. Half-hatched Ducks' Eggs Eaten. Cock Fighting. Sale of Indulgences.
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CHAPTER XVII.


CHINA. NEW GUINEA.

Hong Kong. Pigeon English. Chinese Method of Writing compared with European Methods. Development of Chinese and Japanese Books from Rolls. Plants colonizing a Pagoda. Sights of Canton. Chinese and English Examinations, and their Subjects compared. The Honam Monatery. Chinese Floral Decorations. A Chinese Dinner. Dragons' bones and Teeth. Origin of Mythical Animals. Chinese Account of the Dragon. The last Dragon seen in England. Use of Unicorn's Horn as Medicine in Europe. Chinese and English Medicine compared. Chinese Accounts of the Pigmies and of Monkeys. English Mythical Animals. The Sea Serpent. Owls living with Ground Squirrel in China. Off the Talaur Islands. Driftwood off the Ambernoh River, New Guinea. Animals Inhabiting it. Humboldt Bay, Signal Fires of the Natives. Bartering at Night. Numbers of Canoes. Relative Prices of Native Property. Attempts at Thieving. Modes of Expression. Mode of Threatening Death by Signs. Armed Boat Robbed. Villages of Pile-Dwellings.
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THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS.

History of Visits to the Islands. Eagerness of the Natives for Iron. Trade Gear. Trading with the Natives. Geological Structure of the Islands. Orchids and Ferns overhanging the Sea. Fern resembling a Liverwort. Difficulties in Collecting Words of their Language from the Natives. Their Methods of Counting. Curious Mode of Expressing Negation. Physical Characteristics of the Natives. Hairiness of Races Compared. Possible Signification of Moles. Clothes, Hair Dressing and Ornaments of the Natives. Tattooing and Painting. Betel-Chewing and Food. houses, Temples, and Canoes of the Natives. Their Implements and Weapons. Artistic Skill of the Natives. Their Musical Instruments, Dancing and Singing. Their Polygamy. Fortification of their Villages. Wooden Gods. Skulls and Hair in their Temples. Their Religion. Disposition of the Natives. Their Fear of Goats and Toys. Population of the Islands. Domestic Animals, Birds and other Animals at the islands. Habits of Gar-Fish.
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CHAPTER XIX.


JAPAN. THE SANDWICH ISLANDS.

Tedious Voyage to Japan. Jinriksha Coolies. Worship of the White Horse. Japanese Sight-Seers. Consulting the Oracle. Japanese Pilgrims. Book Shops and Religious Shops. River Embankments. Rice Fields. Houses of Wood and Paper. English Bed-room Exhibited at the Exhibition. Money Boxes. Pilgrims and Priests. Interest taken by the People in Tojins. Cold Water Cure. Painting of the Face in China and Japan. Japanese Tattooing. Japanese Modes of Expression. Japanese Pictures and Theatres. Barren Appearance of the Sandwich Islands. Honolulu. Supremacy of American over Native Productions. Principal Trees of Oahu Island. King Kalakaua. Hawaian Burials. Visit to the Crater of Kilauea. Ponds of Fluid Lava. Mode of Formation of Pele's Hair. Lava Fountains and Cascades. Recent Eruptions. Hawaian Hook Ornament. Its Probable Religious Signification Hawaian Stone Club. Affinities between New Zealand and Hawaian Art. Interbreeding on Isolated Islands.
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CHAPTER XX.


TAHITI.  JUAN FERNANDEZ.

Death of Rudolph Von Willemoes Suhm. Scientific Papers and journals left by him. Papeete. Excursion into the Mountains. Fly-Fishing in a Mountain Stream. Uses of the Wild Banana. Vegetation Composed mainly of Ferns. Camping at Night. Tahitian Mountain Map. Ascent to 4,000 feet Altitude. Petrels Nesting at this Height. Their possible Influence in Distribution of Plants. Ignorance of the Natives concerning the Mountains. Mode of Alternation of Generations in the Mushroom Coral. Structure of Millepora. Structure of the Stylasteridæ. Catching Land-Crabs. Tahitian National Air. Juan Fernandez. Preponderance of Ferns. Destruction of Trees. Gunnera Chilensis. Conspicuous Flowers. Humming Birds of the Island. Their Fertilization of Flowers. Smallness of the Island compared with the Number of Endemic Forms. Endemic Palm. Dendroseris.
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CHAPTER XXI.


CHILE.  MAGELLAN'S STRAITS.  FALKLAND ISLANDS.  ASCENSION.

Valparaiso. The Andes not Conspicuous. Cattle lassoed in the Streets. Excursion up the Uspallata Pass. Leafless Mistletoe on the Leafless Cactus. An Equestrian Hair-Cutter. Dead and disabled Animals on the Pass. Use of the Lasso in Robbery and Flirtation. Cleverness of a Horse on a Mountain Path. Fjords of the Western Coast of Patagonia. Density of the Forest. An Anchor Broken. Fuegians. Wild Geese at Elizabeth Island. Kitchen Middens. The Falkiand Islands. Visit to Port Darwin. Scotchmen turned Gauchos. Chapinas and Tropijes. Wild Horses and their Habits. Various Modes of Handling Cattle in Different Parts of the World. Goose-Bolas made of Knuckle-Bones. Flies and Gnats with Rudimentary Wings. Skeleton of Ziphioid Whale. Fuegian Arrow-heads Scattered in the Islands. Habits of Jackass Penguin. Ascension Island. Land Crabs. The Hatching of Turtles' Eggs. Shooting at Flying Fish. Birds at Boatswain Bird Island.
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CHAPTER XXII.


LIFE ON THE OCEAN SURFACE AND IN THE DEEP SEA.  ZOOLOGY

AND BOTANY OF THE SHIP.  CONCLUSION.

Plants of the Ocean Surface. Fauna of the Sargasso Sea. Protective Colouring of Pelagic Animals. Variety of Pelagic Animals. Flight of the Albatross. Flight of Flying-fish. A Pelagic Insect. Pelagonemertes described. Phosphorescence of Pelagic Animals. Giant Pyrosoma. Uncertainty as to Range in Depth of Pelagic Animals. The Depth of the Oceans and Depressions on the Earth's Surface. Deep-Sea Dredging. Vast Pressure existing in the Deep Sea. Experiment showing this made by Mr. Buchanan. Conditions under which Life Exists in the Deep Sea. Range of Plants in Depth. Food of Deep-Sea Animals. Experiment on the Rate of Sinking of a Salpa. Vegetable and Animal Debris Dredged from Great Depths. The Deep Sea, a High Road for the Distribution of Animals. Deep-Sea Faunas and Alpine Floras Compared. Nature of the Deep-Sea Fauna a source of Disappointment. Remarkable Deep-Sea Ascidian. Localities specially Rich in Deep-Sea Forms. Relations of Deep-Sea Animals to One Another. Phosphorescent Light in the Deep Sea. Colours of Deep-Sea Animals. Cockroaches. Moths, Mosquitoes, House-flies, Crickets, Centipedes and Rats on board the "Challenger." Plants on Board the Ship. Pet Parrot, Cassowary, Ostriches, Tortoises, Spiders, Fur-Seal, and Goat on Board. Adaptation to Sea Life. Smallness of the Earth's Surface. Slow Rate of Travelling. Man and possibly Protoplasm existent on the Earth alone. Necessity for Immediate Scientific Investigation of Oceanic Islands.
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INDEX
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