of our veſſel, in queſt of their food, which they find upon the ſurface of the ocean.
We were mortified to find that the vegetables and fruits, which we had bought at Teneriffe, did not keep, as their corruption was greatly accelerated by the heat and moiſture that prevails during the calms of this zone. We had reaſon to believe that as they had been gathered in a very hot and dry climate, they would have kept much better than thoſe of Europe.
A ſmall ſhark (ſqualus carcharias, Linn.) fell a victim to his voraciouſneſs. As ſoon as they had hauled him on deck, he was immediately cut in pieces, and every one had his ſhare. The ſhark however is very poor food; for beſides the natural abhorrence which the fleſh of an animal that devours human bodies muſt excite, it is very difficult of digeſtion: but at ſea we cannot chooſe our diſhes, and freſh proviſions are always preferable to ſalted.
I found attached to the higher orifice of his ſtomach a number of worms of the genus doris of Linnæus. They were about an inch and a half in length, and did not eaſily let go their hold, although the ſhark was dead. I obſerved them now and then ſhoot out the two tentacula that belong to the characteriſtics of this genus.
The ſituation of the mouth of the ſhark, under
his
