016^ A VOYAGE TO Book Vllf. 



these storms is proportional to the latitude ; being be- 

 tween '20 and GO (lei>rees, neither so violent nor lasting 

 as between 30 and ü6 ; and still increasing in propor- 

 tion as the latitude is greater. 



These winds have likewise no regular or settled 

 period, the interval betwixt them i)eing sometimes not 

 above eight days ; at others much longer; nor do they 

 always blow with the same violence ; but are most un- 

 certain in the winter, rising suddenly when least-^ex- 

 pected, tho' not always blowing with the same force. 



In this sea a change of the wind from N. to N. E, 

 is a sure sign of stormy weather; for the wind is never 

 fixed in the N. E. nor docs it ever change from thence 

 to the E.its constant variation being to theW.orS.W. 

 contrary to Mdiat is seen in the northern hemisphere. 

 Indeed in both the change of the wind usually corre- 

 sponds with the course of the sun; and hence it is, 

 that as in one hemisphere it changes from E. to S. 

 and thence to the W. conformable to the course of 

 the luminary, so in the other it changes, for the same 

 reason, from the E. to N. and afterwards toW. 



It is an old observation among the pilots of this 

 sea, that a day or two before the N. wind begins to 

 blow, there is always seen along the shores, and about 

 the ships, a sort of sea-fowl, called quebrantahuessas, 

 i. e. ossifrage, or break-bones. These birds seldom 

 appear at other times. I am little inclined to believe, 

 much less to propagate any vulgar report; but here 

 I mnst declare, that after rc|)catcd observations, in or- 

 tlcr to discover the truth or falsity of this assretion, I 

 always saw theni before every storm I met with here ; 

 and sometimes even a day before, when there was not 

 the least appearance of the winds coming about to 

 the N. and as the winds increased, great numbers of 

 them gathered about tlie ship, sometimes flying round 

 her, at others settling on the waves, but always kept 

 near the ship, till fair weather returned. It is still 

 more singular, that they arc never seen either on the 



sea 



