Among the small groups of islands in this sea, in the day and night
thunderstorms, the combat of the clouds appears to make them more
thirsty than ever. In tunnel form, when they can no longer quench their
thirst from the surrounding atmosphere, they descend near the surface
of the sea, and appear to lap the water directly up with their black
mouths. They are not always accompanied by strong winds; frequently
more than one is seen at a time, whereupon the clouds whence they
proceed disperse, and the ends of the Waterspouts bending over finally
causes them to break in the middle. They seldom last longer than five
minutes. As they are going away, the bulbous tube, which is as palpable
as that of a thermometer, becomes broader at the base; and little
clouds, like steam from the pipe of a locomotive, are continually
thrown off from the circumference of the spout, and gradually the water
is released, and the cloud whence the spout came again closes its mouth.