152 Natural History of P rotas Island. [April, 



The explanation of the curious phenomenon of S.W. rollers 

 coming in with a N.E. wind followed in due time. They were 

 caused by a typhoon which was blowing between 200 and 300 

 miles 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 account of the Cyclone. 



Pratas Island being so small a spot and situated 170 miles from 

 the mainland of China and about 250 from Formosa, it is remark- 

 able 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 

 N.E. for Tacao-con, we experienced a strong head- wind the whole 

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

 southern 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 Formosa, 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 they not found a resting-place and in some 

 instances a passage back, on board the ' Serpent.' The following 

 birds I observed at various times during the day, and sometimes 

 several of them flying about the ship, and from time to time lying 

 on various parts of the rigging ; a yellow warbler (Sylvia), a yellow 

 wagtail (Motacilla), a shrike (Lanius), grey with a black moustache, 

 apparently identical with the one already seen on the island, two 

 species of swallow (Hirundo), a small heron (Ardea), a very 

 handsome blackbird rather bigger than a common blackbird, with a 

 crimson beak and a large white spot on each wing, a very pretty 

 red dove with a white head, a yellow and black spotted plover, 

 precisely resembling the British golden plover, a species of 

 flycatcher ( ? Myiagra azurea), and a bird closely resembling a hen 

 chaffinch ( ? Munia topila). 



This interesting assemblage of birds was evidently but a few of 

 the numbers blown off the land (probably Formosa) by the force of 

 a moderately strong N.E. wind, and of them, many would perish in 

 the sea, a few would find relief and restoration in passing ships, 

 and without doubt some would reach Pratas Island, and finding 

 means of subsistence, would take up their residence there, and be 

 jotted down in the Avi-fauna of the next observer. 



