The Cicadae were singing their evening hymn from the branches overhead, and in due time the fireflies came out in all their glory.
DREDGING IN BOTAFOGO BAY.
I had looked forward with eager anticipation to the result of the first dredging of the Voyage.

None of the ship's boats could be spared, so I hired one pulled by four negro slaves, who, although strong active fellows, had great objections to straining their backs at the oar, when the dredge was down.

No sieve having been supplied, we were obliged to sift the contents of the dredge through our hands--a tedious and superficial mode of examination.

Still some fine specimens of a curious flat sea-urchin (Encope marginata) and a few shells, encouraged us to persevere.

Two days after, Mr.Huxley and myself set to work in Botafogo Bay, provided with a wire-gauze meat cover, and a curious machine for cleaning rice; these answered capitally as substitutes for sieves, and enabled us by a thorough examination of the contents of the dredge, to detect about forty-five species of mollusca and radiata, some of which were new to science.