478 THE PHILOSOPHY 



« the Iflo of Zant to Morea, or Negropont, in the spring, I 

 « obferved quails flying the contrary way, at which time, al- 

 « fo, a grcat many were taken in our (hip.' This traverfe 

 they might be enabled to accomplifh by paihng from one 

 ifland to another in the Mediterranean. 



Inftances of fwallows and fome other birds alighting on the 

 mads and cordage of veflels, at confiderable diftances from any 

 ihorc, are not fo numerous as might be expedVed. Neither 

 have they been often obferved flying over feas in great flocks. 

 Mr. Peter CoUinfon, in a letter printed in the Philofophical 

 tranfadtiohs, fays, ^ that Sir Charles Wager had frequently 



< informed him, that, in one of his voyages hom.e in the 

 * fpring, as he caipe into foundings in our channel, a. great 

 « flock of fwallows almoil: covered his rigging j that they 



< were nearly fpent and famiilied, and were only feathers and 



< bones •, ' but, being recruited by a night's reft, they took 



< their flight in the morning.' 



M. Adanfon, in his voyage, informs us, that, about fifty- 

 leagues from the coaft of Senegal, four fwallows fettled upon 

 the fliip, on the lixth day of October ; that thefe birds were 

 taken *, and that he knev/ them to be the true fwallow of 

 Europe, which he conjectures were then returning to the 

 coaft of Africa. The Hon. Daines Barrington, with more 

 probability, fuppofes that thefe fwallows, inftead of being on 

 their palTage from Europe, were only flitting from the Cape 

 de Verde iflands to the continent of Africa, a much fhorter 

 flight, but to v/liich they feemed to be unequal, as they were 

 obliged, from fatigue, to light upon the fhip, and fail into 

 the hands of the failors. 



Swallows, Mr. Kalm remarks, appear in the Jerfies about 

 the beginning of April. They are, on their firft arrival, 

 wet, becaufe they have juft emerged from the fea or lakes, 

 at the bottom of v/hich they had remained in a torpid ftate 

 during the whole winter. But Mr. Kalm, who wiflies to fup- 



