Ch.II.] BIEDS between FORMOSA AND PEATAS. 33 



side, extending for mUes along the northern edge of the 

 reef, over which the sea, lashed into foam by a strong breeze 

 of some days' duration, was dashing wildly in a broad 

 straight band of white foam. Finding that the wind fresh- 

 ened, and that we could do no more at the Pratas Shoal, we 

 steered north-east and left the dangerous reef behind. 



The explanation of the curious phenomenon of south-west 

 roUers coming in with a north-east wind followed in due 

 time. They were caused by a typhoon which was blowing 

 between 200 and 300 mUes to the south of us, and which 

 recurved in lat. 16° 10' N. and long. 116° 30' E., according 

 to the observations of Capt. Symington, whose ship, the 

 " Northfleet," was twice caught in it, and who published an 

 accoimt of the Cyclone. 



Pratas Island being so small a spot, and situated 170 

 miles from the mainland of China and about 250 from For- 

 mosa, it is remarkable that so many land-birds should have 

 found a home there ; and the incidents of the two or three 

 days which elapsed during our passage from the reef to the 

 Island of Formosa were particularly interesting, as throwing 

 light upon this circumstance. Steering north-east for Ta- 

 kau-con, we experienced a strong head-wind the whole way, 

 that is, the direction of the wind being in a straight line 

 from South Formosa to Pratas Island. We left the reef on 

 May 3rd; on the 4th a large flock of sandpipers met us, 

 going with the wind towards Pratas, where no doubt they 

 would find a resting-place. But the following day, being 

 then a little more than halfway from the reef to Fonnosa, 

 the rigging was scarcely free at any time during the day 

 from feathered guests, which must have been driven off the 

 Formosa coast by the wind, and some of them at least would 

 have reached Pratas had tliey not found a resting-place, and 



