ULLOA*S VOYAeE TO SOUTH AMERICA. 657 



and foon after its violence abated, and the next night Ihifted from fouth-wefl to fouth- 

 eaft. Thus the whole continuance of the ftorm was four natural days and nine hours ; 

 and I have fince met with others of the fame violence and duration, as I Ihall mention 

 in their proper place. What I would infer from my own experience, confirmed by 

 the information of feveral pilots, is, that the duration of thefe florms is proportional 

 to the latitude -, being between twenty and thirty degrees, neither fo violent nor lafting 

 as ' between thirty and thirty-fix ; and ftill encreafmg in proportion as the latitude is 

 greater. 



'''^ Thefe winds have likewife no regular or fettled period, the interval betwixt them 

 being fometimes not above eight days ; at others much longer ; nor do they always 

 blc)W with the fame violence ; but are moft uncertain in the winter, rifmg fuddenly 

 when leaft expefted, though not blowing always with the fame force. 



In this fea a change of the wind from north to north-eaft, is a fure fign of ftormy 

 weather ; for the wind is never fixed in the north-eaft, nor does it ever change from 

 thence to the eaft, its conftant variation being to the weft or fouth-weft, contrary to 

 what is feen in the northern hemifphere. Indeed in both the change of the wind ufually 

 correfponds with the courfe of the fun ; and hence it is, that as in one hemifphere it 

 changes from the eaft to fouth, and thence to the weft, conformably to the courfe of 

 the luminary, fo in the other it changes for the fame reafon, from the eaft to north,- 

 and afterwards to weft. 



It is an old obfervation among the pilots of this fea, that a day or two before the north 

 wind begins to blow, there is always feen along the fhores, and about the fhips, a fort 

 of fea fowl called Quebrantahueflas, i. e. offifrage, or break-bones. Thefe birds feldom 

 appear at other times. I am little inclined to believe, much lefs to pr15pagate any vul- 

 gar report : but here I muft declare, that after repeated obfervations, in order to 

 difcover the truth or falfity of this aifertion, I always faw them before every ftorm I 

 met with here ; and fometimes even a day before, when there was not the leaft appear- 

 ance of the wind's coming about to the north, and as the winds increafed, great num- 

 bers of them gathered about the fhip, fometimes flying round her, at others fettling on 

 the waves, but always kept near the fhip, till fair weather returned. It is ftill more 

 fmgular, that they are never feen either on the fea or land, except in ftormy weather ; 

 nor is it known where they hide themfelves when is it fair, that they fhould fo immedi- 

 ately cover, as it were, the fea, when their natural inftind informs them of the approach 

 of a north wind. 



This bird exceeds the fize of a large duck, has a fhort thick arched neck, with a large 

 head and a thick but fhort bill, a fmall tail, a rifmg back, large wings and fmall legs. 

 They are by their plumage divided into two different kinds, one being white, fpotted 

 with dark brown, and the upper part of its wings entirely of the latter colour : the 

 breaft of the other, together with the infide of the wings, the whole head, and the lower 

 part of the neck, is white ; but the back, the upper parts of the wings and neck, of a 

 very dark brown, and are hence called Lamo prieto (Black-backs). The laft kind are 

 by the pilots accounted the moft certain fign, the others being often feen without any 

 alteration of weather immediately fucceeding. I well knew a pilot here, who was a 

 native of Callao, a man of indefatigable curiofity and exaftnefs, never omitting to infert 

 in his journals the moft minute circumftances. His name was Bernardo de Mendofa, 

 and with him thefe fowls were confidered as fo fure a fign, that when he was in any of 

 thefe ports, and his fhip ready to put to fea, it was his conftant cuftom to take a walk on 

 the fhore, to fee whether he could perceive any of them in the offing } and if he did, he 



VOL. XIV. 4 p continued, 



