54 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
the land was visible from Shannon Island to Cape Hold-with- 
Hope. 
3rd. 72° 50’ N., 16°15’ W.; calm light air from W. The 
character of the water changed, and life became at once 
abundant. Narwhals, Seals, and Bears seen, and a Walrus 
shot, which had been feeding on Seals. Bay-ice beginning to 
form, and pools of fresh water frozen over. 
6th. 71° 5’ N., 18° 34’ W.; calm and fine. Steamed 8.W. 
towards the entrance of Scoresby’s Fiord until stopped by ice; 
coast very grand, fine precipices and glaciers. Scoresby 
estimates the average height at 3000 feet. Rotches in clouds ; 
‘they are already coming off the land accompanied by their 
young.” From this point the ‘Eclipse’ headed for home, 
reaching Peterhead on the 17th August. 
THE PROBLEM OF THE SOARING BIRD. | 
By J. Lancaster.* 
Ir is now more than two years since I first made known 
the results of investigations on the methods of flight of the great 
soaring birds, carried on at intervals since 1850. The Whooping 
Cranes of the north-west, performing their migrations on motion- 
less wings, had at that early date fixed my attention, and my 
times of leisure down to 1876 were devoted to ransacking the 
scientific and literary world, and to observing the birds in the 
act whenever it was possible to do so, that I might get an 
explanation of the phenomenon of more substantial character 
than mere guesswork. Plenty of assumed solutions were found 
scattered about. Such theologians as I consulted were confident 
that the question had reached its lowest terms when it was said 
that “God had created the birds to fly.” Common-sense folks 
rejected the idea of fixed wings, and held to a slow flapping that 
could not be seen, while the scientists were confident of upward 
slanting currents of air and various atmospheric disturbances 
which produced the result. Accounts of travellers as to the facts 
were hopelessly confused, with a single exception, that of Charles 
Darwin, in his ‘ Naturalist’s Voyage around the World.’ His 
* From ‘The Ameriean Naturalist,’ 1885, pp. 1055—1058; 1162—1171. 
