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34 CHELTENHAM COLLEGE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 
have been blown out to sea by Westerly Winds, and that taking 
advantage of the greater traffic between North America and England 
they have crossed on the rigging of some steamboat. The rigging of 
steamboats not requiring the same adjustment as that of sailing 
vessels they run a better chance of not being seen and killed by sailors, 
and every twenty-four hours carries them 300 miles nearer Europe. 
I do not mean to say that all these birds catch the boat to England, 
many are drowned, and some no doubt rest on a boat going back to 
their own shores. But being among birds of their own species they 
do not enjoy the notoriety which falls to the lot of those who have 
crossed the ocean. ‘This theory and all the others I have mentioned 
can only be substantiated or denied by the Collection of Facts, but 
they do in any case point to lines along which more work is needed. 
