CURRENT PAPERS. 233 



the south coast of Asia generally, and west coast of Africa, from 

 which the return of the papers which may be cast on the shore is 

 improbable. I get papers from these places only occasionally. 

 One of the dangers which beset current papers has become evident 

 recently and that is, sometimes the finder of the bottle thinks 

 it of more value than the paper inside of it. 



Although a definite answer to the question what percentage of 

 the papers come back cannot be given, my impression is that 

 five or six per cent, of those thrown over in Australian waters 

 came back to me, and probably eight or ten per cent, go on shore 

 outside Australia and are never heard of. 



Twenty-four per cent, of the papers that do come back have 

 been thrown over when the vessels were only a few miles from the 

 shore, and there is good reason to believe that they go on shore at 

 once, because there is such a short interval between the throwing 

 over and the finding. Since the land is generally much warmer 

 than the water, it produces an indraught from the sea which is 

 most effective close in shore and probably has much to do with 

 taking the bottle-papers on shore. 



It is very unusual for a paper thrown over close in shore to be 

 carried away to a distance, but I do get a few that have drifted 

 into the open ocean to find a resting place on distant land. On 

 October 31st, 1896, when the Ormuz was in Lat. 37° 17' S. and 

 three miles off the coast, a current paper No. 229, was thrown 

 over at 10 h. 15 m. a.m., and it was found on October 24th 1897, 

 on the New Zealand coast, forty miles north of Hokianga, its 

 daily drift having been 3'6 miles per day. On October 31st 1896 

 at noon, that is one and three-quarter hours after No. 229, Capt. 

 Tuke had a second current paper No. 230, thrown over, the ship 

 being then in 36° 57' S. and near the coast ; this paper instead 

 of following No. 229, to the New Zealand coast, made its way to 

 Tuggerah beach, which is half way between Sydney and Newcastle, 

 on May 27 th 1898, having been five hundred and fifty -three days 

 on the journey, if we assume that this paper made its way up the 



