[ s 7 6 1 



The next inftance of a bird being caught at any 

 diftance from land, is in Sir Hans Sloane's voyage to 

 Jamaica, who fays, that a lark was taken in the (hip 

 40 leagues from the fhore : this therefore was cer- 

 tainly an unfortunate bird, forced out to fea by a 

 ftrong wind in flying from headland to headiand, as 

 no one fuppofes the fkylark to be a bird of paflage. 



The fame anfwer may be given to a yellow-ham- 

 mer's fettling upon Haffelquift's (hip in the entrance 

 of the Mediterranean, with this difference, that 

 either the European or African coaft mult have been 

 much nearer than 40 leagues *. 



The next fact to be considered is what is men- 

 tioned in a letter of Mr. Peter Collinfon's, printed in 

 the Philofophical Tranfaclions -f*. 



He there fays, " That Sir Charles Wager had 

 " frequently informed him, that in one of his 

 fC voyages home in the fpring as he came into found- 

 <{ ings in our channel, that a great flock of fwallows 

 ft almoft covered his rigging, that they were nearly 

 " fpent and famifhed, and were only feathers and 

 " bones ; but being recruited by a night's reft, they 

 " took their flight in the morning." 



The firft anfwer to this is, that if thefe were birds 

 which had crofted large tracts of fea in their periodi- 

 cal migrations, the fame accident muft happen eter- 

 nally, both in the fpring and autumn, which is not 

 however pretended by any one. 



In the next place, the fwallows are ftated to be 

 fpent both by famine and fatigue ; and how were 

 they to procure any flies or other fuftenance on the 



* See Haffelquift's Travels, in princ. 

 t 1760, Part II, p. 461. 



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