29th September 1768

Tenerife to Cape Verde Islands

Fresh breezes and Hazey weather. The Variation 12 degrees 33 minutes West; the Observed Latitude ahead of that given by the Log 10 miles. Wind North-East by North; course South 14 degrees West; distance 90 miles; latitude 17 degrees 32 minutes North; at noon Peak of Teneriff, North 33 degrees East, 236 leagues.

Joseph Banks Journal

This morn calm; employd in drawing and describing the bird taken yesterday, calld it Motacilla avida; while the drawing was in hand it became very familiar, so much so that we had a brace made for it in hope to keep it alive; as flies were in amazing abundance onboard the ship we had no fear of plentiful supply of provision.

About noon a young shark was seen from the Cabbin windows following the ship, who immediately took a bait and was caught on board; he provd to be the Squalus Charcharias of Linn[aeus] and assisted us in clearing up much confusion which almost all authors had made about that species; with him came on board 4 sucking fish, echineis remora Linn. who were preserved in spirit.

Notwistanding it was twelve O'Clock before the shark was taken, we made shift to have a part of him stewd for dinner, and very good meat he was, at least in the opinion of Dr Solander and myself, tho some of the Seamen did not seem to be fond of him, probably from some prejudice founded on the species sometimes feeding on human flesh.

Sydney Parkinson’s Journal

On the 29th, we had a view of the island of Bona Vista, at about four leagues distance.