Ch. I. SOUTH AMFRICA. 301 



and on the feventh we faw a ni?w fpe'i'ies of a dark 

 brown colour, greatly refemblinG; geefe, and, ¡ike 

 them, keep fwimming on the water for a long time. 

 On the Sih we faw birds of a brown and white co- 

 lour, in fmall nocks, of ten or fiiccen in each. 

 Thefe alfo iwam on the water, and when flving, kept 

 always near the furface. On rhe 9th being in the 

 latitude of 54° 21' and 16° ic/E. of the meridian 

 of Conception, oefides the fame flocks of birds, 

 we alfo faw Fárdelas, but of a lefs fize than thofe in 

 the South-Sea. On the icth in the latitude of 54° 1' 

 and 17° 38' E. of Conception, the winds were very 

 variable between the N. N. E. and S. W. with fo 

 thick a fog, that the (hips fired guns to avoid run- 

 ning foul of one another} for each had kept two 

 guns mounted for making fignals. We had alfo 

 heavy ihowers, and m the evening faw flocks of 

 birds, moil of them of middling fize, with dark 

 brown feathers, and flcnder crooked wings. The 

 whole difference between them confifted in the fize, 

 their form and colour being perfedly alike ; and though 

 we faw them during the whole day, they were in the 

 greateft numbers from four to fix in the evening. 

 On the iith being in the latitude of 52° 15', and 

 18° 9' E. of Conception, we obferved that the co- 

 lour of the water was changed, it being now greenilh; 

 but another day's failing brought us into water of its 

 ufual colour. On the 12th and ijch the wind blew 

 freih at N W. and W. accompanied with heavy 

 Ihowers but of no long continuance, nor attended 

 with any bad confequences. Among the birds feen 

 thefe two days, and which were more numerous than 

 before, rwo fpecies in particular engaged my atten- 

 tion; one large, refembling vultures, with black 

 wings, and their bodies of a light brown fpotted with 

 white: the other, though little different in colour from 

 the former, did not exceed the Fárdelas in fize: 

 both forts kept near the fliip ; and our men told us 



they 



