RAPIDITY OF FLIGHT. 81 



a Crow, or as if in its wild state. The people of the 

 village were all aware of its singular propensity, asserting 

 that it would often rise and take the circuit of a mile. 



As to our smaller species, there is scarcely a part of 

 the wide ocean, in the usual route of navigators, over 

 which some of the little land-birds have not been seen 

 flitting, blown off, in many instances possibly, from their 

 native shores, by gales of wind, and no doubt often 

 perishing in the waters, but still leaving survivors enough 

 to give evidence of their uncommon strength of wing. 

 Thus our well-known cheerful little bird, the Tomtit 

 (Parus major), has been met with in latitude 40 north 

 and longitude 48 west, about 920 miles from land*; 

 but a still more extraordinary instance, both as regards 

 distance from land and situation, is that of a common 

 Titlark (Alauda pratensis) having alighted on board a 

 vessel from Liverpool, in latitude 47 4' south, longitude 

 43 19' west, in Sept. 1825, at a distance of at least 

 1300 miles from the nearest main land of South America, 

 and about 900 from the wild and barren island of Georgia. 

 The poor little traveller was taken, and brought back to 

 Liverpool, where it was seen by Dr. Traill, one of our 

 most eminent naturalists. An Owl has been also seen 

 gliding over the midst of the Atlantic Ocean, with as much 

 apparent ease as if it had been seeking for mice amongst 

 its native fields. To the distant voyages of this bird, we 

 can indeed bear our own testimony, when sailing in the 

 Mediterranean. At daylight a brown Owl was observed 

 on the main-top-gallant yard, and secured by an active 

 sailor: for three or four days it was detained, but as it 

 appeared to pine, it was again turned adrift. At first it 

 seemed bewildered, but after wheeling round the ship 

 twice or thrice, it steered, direct as an arrow from a bow, 

 for the nearest land, distant about eighty miles. 



We cannot, after this, be surprised to hear, that certain 

 seafaring birds are constantly found at a thousand miles, 

 or often at greater distances, from land. Three of the 



* Foster's North America, vol.i. 



G 



