■14^ Zoology, 



goldfinch (i^ringilla Carduelis) was caught in the rigging; this and the two 

 former soon died from exhaustion ; at the same time a small white owl flew 

 round the vessel, but did not settle on board; lat. 44° 1' north, long. 

 IP 19' west; wind brisk, our nearest distance from land. Cape Finisterre, 

 120 miles. — Oct. 27. A hawk was seen flying about the ship, but did not 

 settle ; distance from the Canary Islands, the nearest land, 250 miles. — 

 Oct. 29. In the morning a single swallow was seen flying about the vessel, 

 and frequently settling ; it was joined soon afterwards by another, and both 

 continued with us the whole day; lat. 28° 11' north, long. 23° 13' west. — 

 Oct. 30. Swallows and martens in great numbers about the vessel ; they 

 were easily captured by the sailors, as they flew close to the deck in search 

 of flies; they appeared to be more in want of food than tired ; lat. 41° 47' 

 north, long. 25° 58' west. — Oct. 31. Swallows and martens still continue 

 with us in great numbers, and were seen several successive days apparently 

 on a south-west course; a hen redstart (i^fotacilla Phcenicurus) was also 

 observed about the ship, it continued with us several days, and used to come 

 into the ports of the after gun-room to be fed, food being purposely placed 

 there for it; lat. 19° 54' north, long. 25° west. — Nov.'S. Swallows still 

 with us. — Nov. 4. The spotted gallinule (Rallus Porzdna) was caught on 

 deck ; lat. 8° 2' north, long. 25° 37' west. — Nov. 7. A fine female kestrel 

 hawk (Falco Tinnunculus) was captured in the rigging; it was preserved 

 in a cage for some days, but afterwards contrived to escape, and flew off"; 

 lat. 8° 2' north, long. 24° 40' west ; 420 miles from land. It is remarkable 

 that all the above-named are British ; they were verified by a reference to 

 Bewick's Birds. — Nov. 21. A small bat, or large dark-coloured moth, was 

 seen flying about the top of the rigging, but soon left us ; we were 300 miles 

 from the nearest point of South America. — Nov. 23. A Brazilian land bird 

 .(Corvus diihius Linn.) settled on board; lat. 22° 46' south, long. 37° 42' 

 west; about 330 miles from Rio Janeiro. — Dec. 30. The i^ringilla aus- 

 tralis (a small bird common in all the lower parts of South America) flew 

 on board : we were at the time exactly 37 miles south of Staten Land, with 

 a northerly breeze. — 1825. Sept. 28. A small humming-bu-d flew round the 

 vessel, but it did not settle on board ; we were at the time about 10 miles 

 from land, off* the coast of Chile, opposite Conception. 



It may be remarked that, though so many land birds were seen on the 

 passage out, not one was met with on the return. I found swallows both 

 at Rio Janeiro and Valparaiso ; at the latter place rearing their young. 

 The iJirundo urbica, or marten, I also found at Valparaiso and in other 

 parts of Chile. — Andrew Bloxam. Glenjield^ near Leicester ^ Marchy 1830. 



The Swallow and the Stoat. — In the fine brilliant afternoon of the 17th 

 of last May I was walking through a retired village lane, when a stoat 

 (Mustela erminea) issued from the hedge, and placed himself in the path a 

 few yards before me. A swallow (ifirundo rustica), which was winging its 

 airy circles just by, immediately perceived the little intruder upon " broad- 

 eyed garish day," and, what I should have conceived completely contrary to 

 its nature, pounced upon him, and straightway forced him to retire to his 

 hiding-place. In a minute afterwards, however, the stoat again appeared ; 

 when the bird, having taken another round in the air, again obliged him to 

 retreat. This was repeated four several times ; and to my eye it appeared 

 that once the stoat was actually assaulted by the swallow ; but in this I am 

 inclined to think I must have been mistaken. At length, however, tired of 

 the gambols of the frolicksome bu'd, the little quadruped, which in all pro- 

 bability under other circumstances would have made a hearty meal of 

 his audacious prey, disappeared in the hedge, and I saw no more of him. — 

 G. M. Lynn Regis, Dec. 1. 1830. 



Peregrine Falcon. — A fine female peregrine was taken by the warrener 

 of G. Gardiner, Esq., of Thetford, on the 15th of October, 1829. The 

 Silicon had probably escaped from Colonel Wilson's of Didlington Hall, 



