138 The Scottish Naturalist. 



parts where they are most abundant. This accords with my 

 own experience. The bewilderment of birds, owing to a sudden 

 change of wind is also very forcibly described by Captain 

 Sperling, who narrates his having seen a flock of Turtle-doves at 

 sea so utterly confounded by a sudden shift of wind that they 

 settled on the ship and continued making endless excursions of 

 about a mile in various directions, but only to return again to 

 make a fresh start. With regard to foggy weather Mr. Cordeaux, 

 (" Birds of the Humber District") says that it is not so much wild 

 stormy weather and high winds that are fatal to our little 

 migratory birds in their long dreary passage (from the Naze in 

 Scandinavia to Flamborough Head or the Spurn), but thick and 

 especially drizzly and foggy weather. 



To the effect that birds do not confine themselves to the lines 



laid down by Mr. Wallace, but have a more extended range, I 



could mention numerous instances, but a few will suffice. 



Mr. Thomson of Belfast mentions, that when in H.M.S. Beacon 



with his friend Captain Graves, on a voyage from Malta to 



Greece, between the 21st and the 27th of April, 1841, they fell 



in with numerous birds. Black-headed Buntings, Willow- Wrens, 



Chiffchaffs, Redstarts, Wagtails, Wheatears, Whitethroats, (both 



kinds) Golden-Orioles, Hoopoes, Nightjars, Quail, Wryneck, 



and Woodchat. I may state that two years after this I had 



also the pleasure of sailing with the late Captain Graves (who 



was a very intimate friend of mine) in H.M.S. Beacon, leaving 



Malta about a week earlier than the date above mentioned, 



going direct to Cerigo on our passage to Crete, and between 



the latter place and Malta we met ^\^th very much the same 



birds : in addition, however, were several Rollers, and three 



Landrail, which passed close to the ship along with several Quail. 



I mention these two voyages of the Beacon the more 



especially, as that part of the sea, from the south coast of Italy 



and the mouth of the Adriatic, to the shores of Tripoli, is free 



of all rocks or islands, and has about the widest stretch of water, 



namely about 500 miles, and yet along the whole track, or 



nearly so, from Malta to Cape Matapan on the Greek coast, we 



were visited every day by birds of passage, and as the old Beacon 



was not noted for her sailing qualities as to speed, we had many 



opportunites of observing them. I have only mentioned the 



shorter-winged birds, but quantities of Swallows, Bee-eaters, 



and Rcd-lcgged Falcons also visited the ship, many of the 



latter remaining with us for some time perched about the rig- 



