473 APrENDTX. 



in a north-east direction : soon afterwards a flock, consisting of fifteen, 

 came from the same qnartcr, liawked about the leeward side of the 

 vessel for a short time, and then proceeded north-cast : an hour after 

 their departure (ten o'clock) a flock of eight, appeared, and alighting 

 on a rope astern the ship, remained there for nearly an hour ; they 

 were perched close together, and so low down on the rope, that by its 

 motion the lowest one was more than once ducked in the water, but 

 nevertheless did not let go its hold or change its position for a 

 di'ier one. These birds were but a few yards from the cabin-windows, 

 and looked so extremely beautiful, that they were compared by some 

 of the spectators to paroquets, and on account of their gaudy plumage 

 not very inaptly. After these left us, others were seen throughout 

 the day, but generally single birds ; they rarely alighted : all flew in the 

 same course.* 



"A few goatsuckers {Caprhmdgns Ein-opmts) appeared about the 

 ship to-day, and alighted ; they were all single except in one instance, 

 when two were in company. A few individuals of this species were 

 likewise seen within the .last two or three days. A couple were shot 

 this afternoon. Throughout to-day the Columha Tnrtnr was observed 

 coming from the south, and generally single; very few alighted. 



" All the birds seen on migration bore right on in the course they 

 had come, whether they rested temporarily on the vessel or otherwise. 

 They all came from a southerly direction, either due south, S.W., or S.E. 

 The wind was moderate, the weather fine and dry during the whole 

 passage, so that all the species we saw were in the ordinary course of 

 migration, and none driven to the ship by any stress of weather. 



" Although not coming within the title of this communication, 

 inasmuch as it had already taken up its summer quarters, I shall here 

 mention the alpine swift {Cypselns Melba), which, upon om* entering 

 the fine bay of Navarino, on the morning of the 28th, appeared in 

 great numbers careering high overhead. Of the Hirundines generally, 

 it may be remarked, that from our arrival in France on the evening of 

 the 1st of April, we did not see any of the species until the 9th, 



" * When not very far to the westward of Cape INIatapan, on the 1st of May, a 

 flock of twenty -nine of the Merops apiaster flew close past the ship towards the 

 Morea. 



