Cape Horn to Tahiti
First part little wind, the remainder Calm. Variation, 3 degrees 43 minutes East. Saw some rock weed and a great many Tropic Birds. Wind West by North, calm; course North; distance 23 miles; latitude 25 degrees 21 minutes South, longitude 129 degrees 28 minutes West.
Calm this morn: went out in the boat and shot Tropick bird Phaeton erubescens, and Procellaria atrata, velox and sordida. Took Turbo fluitans floating upon the water in the same manner as Helix Janthina, Medusa Porpita exactly like those taken on the other side of the continent, and a small Cimex? which also was taken before but appears to be a larva, if so probably of some animal that lives under water, as I saw many but none that appeard perfect tho they were enough so to propagate their species or copulate at least. In examining the Phaetons found that what appeard to me a black crissus as they flew was no other than their black feet; on them was plenty of a very curious kind of acarus Phaetintis which either was or appeard to be viviparous.
Besides what was shot today there were seen Man of war birds pelecanus aquilus, and a small bird of the Sterna? kind calld by the seamen egg birds, which were white with red beaks about the size of sterna hirundo. Of these I saw several just at night fall who flew very high and followd one another all standing towards the NNW; probably there is land on that point as we were now not far from the Lat and Longitude in which Quiros saw his southermost Islands Incarnation and St Jno Baptist.
Sydney Parkinson’s Journal
We saw a great number of tropic and egg birds, and shot two of the former, which had a very beauteous plumage, being a fine white, mingled with a most lively red: their tails were composed of two long red feathers; and their beaks were of a deep red. We found ourselves at this time in latitude 25° 21' S. and longitude 120° 20' W. having fair weather, with a dry, serene, and salubrious air.
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