OBSERVATIONS ON BIRDS. 287 



ROOKS. Rooks are continually fighting, and pulling each 

 other's nests to pieces : these proceedings are inconsistent with 



1824-5. They cannot fail to be highly interesting, as proving the 

 great excursions frequently, if not periodically, taken by land birds : 

 " 1824, Oct. 11. A chaffinch flew on board; weather stormy; Bay of 

 Biscay, lat. 48 deg. 33 min. north, long. 7 deg. 50 min. west. Several 

 snipes were seen the same day. Oct. 13. A skylark was caught ; weather 



stormy; lat. 45 deg. 4 min. north, long. 10 deg. 10 min. west Oct. 14. 



A goldfinch was caught in the rigging ; this and the two former soon died 

 from exhaustion ; at the same time, a small white owl flew round the vessel, 

 but did not settle on board; lat. 44 deg. 1 min. north, long. 11 deg. 19 

 min, west ; wind brisk ; our nearest distance from land, Cape Finisterre, 

 one hundred and twenty miles. Oct. 27. A hawk was seen flying about 

 the ship, but did not settle; distance from the Canary Islands, the nearest 

 land, two hundred and fifty miles. Oct. 29. In the morning, a single 

 swallow was seen flying about the vessel, and frequently settling ; it was 

 joined -soon afterwards by another, and both continued with us the whole 



day; lat. 23 deg. 11 min. north, long. 23 deg. 13 min. west Oct. 30. 



Swallows and martens in great numbers about the vessel ; they were 

 easily captured by the sailors, as they flew close to the deck, in search of 

 flies ; they appeared to be more in want of food than tired ; lat. 41 deg. 

 47 min. north, long. 25 deg. 58 min. west. Oct. 31. Swallows and 

 martens still continue with us in great numbers, and were seen several 

 successive days, apparently on a south-west course; a hen redstart was 

 also observed about the ship ; it continued with us several days, and used 

 to come into the ports of the after gun-room to be fed, food being pur- 

 posely placed there for it; lat. 19 deg. 54 min. north, long. 25 deg. west. 

 Mov. 3. Swallows still with us. Nov. 4. The spotted gallinule was 

 caught on deck; lat. 8 deg. 2 min. north, long. 25 deg. 37 min. west. 

 Nov. 7. A fine female kestrel hawk was captured in the rigging ; it was 

 preserved in a cage for some days, but afterwards contrived to escape, 

 and flew off; lat. 8 deg. 2 min. north, long. 24 deg. 40 min. west; four 

 hundred and twenty-four miles from land. It is remarkable, that all the 

 above named are British ; they were verified by a reference to Bewick's 

 Birds. Nov. 21. A small bat, or large, dark-coloured moth, was seen 

 flying about the top of the rigging, but soon left us ; we were three 

 hundred miles from the nearest point of South America. Nov. 23. A 

 Brazilian land bird, corvus dubius of Linn, settled on board ; lat. 22 deg. 

 46 min. south, long. 87 deg. 42 min. west ; about three hundred miles 

 from Rio Janeiro. Dec. 0. Ihefringilla australis flew on board ; we 

 were, at the time, exactly thirty-seven miles south of Staten Land, with 

 a northerly breeze. 1825, Sept. 28. A small humming-bird flew round 

 the vessel, but did not settle on board ; we were, at the time, about ten 

 miles from land, off the coast of Chili, opposite Conception. 



" It may be remarked, that, though so many land birds were seen on 

 our passage out, not one was met with on the return. I found swallows 

 both at Rio Janeiro and Valparaiso ; at the latter place, rearing their 

 young. The marten I also found at Valparaiso, and other parts of 

 Chili." ED. 



