Letters, Announcements, &^c. 337 



(lat. 8° 40' N., long. 34° 31' W.), vvhen a solitary specimen of 

 my old friend, Procellaria mollis, scudded away southward, as 

 if it wished to get away from such a bird-forgotten place. 



On June 7th, at 9 a.m., in lat. 2° 50' N., 30° 50' W. (nearest 

 land, Paranahyba, 350 miles distant), a pair of Gannets came up 

 from the southward, and, without stopping to fish or even to have 

 a look at us, passed on to the northward. 



Next day at 11 a.m. we crossed the line. At 10.30 a.m. (lat. 

 6' S., long. 41° 33' W.) a Ground-Dove flew round the ship, 

 but would not alight, and finally struck ofl" for shore. Capt. 

 Mutton calculated we were at least 180 miles from shore : he 

 told me he heard a Frigate-bird during the night. 



Sunday, June 9th. — Land, though not visible, was supposed 

 to be 30 miles a-head at daylight, and a Goatsucker and several 

 Crotophaga ani came and pitched in the rigging. The latter 

 were so exhausted that they dropped to the deck, and we caught 

 several ; the Goatsucker, a fine large grey fellow, rested for a 

 few moments, and then flew away landward. We were now 

 covered with moths, butterflies, dragonflies, &c. Another 

 Ground-Dove visited us, and Terns and Frigate-birds fished 

 around us. 



We presently made the mouth of the Maranao River, and came 

 to anchor opposite the town. On landing I soon made the ac- 

 quaintance of Humming-birds and others; but as all the forms 

 of bird-life are new to me I say nothing of them. We reached 

 Para on the night of the 19th ; and the first object that greeted 

 my eyes in the dim grey morning light next day was a Urubu 

 Vulture, perched on the gable of the opposite house, with ex- 

 tended wings, waiting to catch the first rays of the sun to dry 

 up the night dews from his plumage. They are very abundant 

 here (at Maranao I saw none), and act as scavengers. 



If you will take the trouble to trace our course on a map, vou 

 will see we made a wonderfully straight course to Maranao. 

 We picked up the N.E. trades far to the northward of Madeira, 

 and never moved a sail till we approached the land on this side. 

 The absence of bii'd-life was curious ; and Capt. Mutton tells me 

 he never observes it otherwise, and he constantly crosses and re- 

 crosses. 



SER. III. VOL. II. 2 B 



