L E T T E R IX. 245 



and round in a circular winding form, till it reach- 

 ed the Cloud it was to replenifh, and continuing 

 fo to do for the Space of ten or twelve mi- 

 nutes, whilft it lafled making a very great noife ; 

 But they had the good fortune to difperfe it, by 

 firing a great Gun loaded with Shot at it. JVoods 

 Rogers in Page 373 fays, that in their pafTage 

 from Guam to Batavia^ they faw in one day 

 no lefs than three Water-Spouts, one of which 

 was in danger of breaking on the Marquis, had 

 not the Dutchefs, by firing two Shot, broke it 

 before it reached her. 



20. I muft not forget to acquaint you ; that un- 

 der the Tropick of Caficer^ on our pafl!age towards 

 Nevisy we faw at leaft a dozen Tropick Birds, 

 though none of them flew low enough to be fliot 

 at; and indeed they are a high-foaring Bird, about 

 the bignefs of a full-grown Partridge, of a milk 

 white colour, with one fingle white feather (at 

 their Rump) a foot and a half long, which ferves 

 them for a Tail. There was formerly one of 

 them in the Mufceum Afiimolea7inm at Oxford: 

 And that on our return to -England^ we met 

 with many Birds, and particularly with a large 

 one called a Sheerwater, being of a brownifli 

 colour, as large almoft as a Goofe, and fome of 

 them many hundreds of miles from Land ; they are 

 a ftrong-winged kind of Fowl, and do frequently 

 alight on the Ocean. I had certainly come back 

 home to England quite prejudiced in favour of 



<^3 the 



