26 OCEANIC BIEDS. — BOAT CAPSIZED. 



ship, and the state of the sea admitted of going" after 

 them, — hy this means many species of petrels were 

 obtained for the collection. On one of these occa- 

 sions, owing' to a mistake ia lowering the stem boat 

 before the ship had quite " lost her way " through 

 the water, one of the falls could not be unhooked in 

 time J consequently the boat was dragged over on 

 her broadside, and finally capsized with eight people 

 in her. Some reached one of the life-buoys, which 

 was instantly let go, the others managed to roU the 

 boat over and right her, full of water. All were 

 eventually picked up by the leeward quarter-boat ; 

 the weather one, from the shortness of the davits, 

 would not clear the ship's side, but turned over on 

 her bdge, dipping in the water, and was rendered 

 ineffective when most wanted. This defect in the 

 davits was afterwards remedied by the substitution 

 of other and longer ones, which had formerly be- 

 longed to H.M. steam vessel Thunderbolt, wrecked 

 at Algoa Bay a short time previously. 



Among many interesting birds* procured in the 

 above mentioned manner, I may allude to Puffinus 

 cinereus, an European species of shearwater, which 

 was found to be generally distributed across the 

 South Atlantic between the meridians of 28° W. 

 and 1^° E. ; on two successive days, while in the 



* For the occurrence of Procellariada during our outward 

 Toyage, with a view to determine the geographical distribution of 

 the species met with by me, see " Contributions to Ornithology, 

 by Sir W. Jardine, Bart." p. 94. 



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