1886.) E es -i 
The first casual supposition that he must have been a stow-a-way 
brought from port, must be acknowledged, on further considera- 
tion, as unsupported by fact. 
The date of. sailing, April 28th, was too late to support the 
probability of such an origin, all golden plovers having probably 
migrated from semi-tropical California to their northern breeding 
grounds ata much earlier date. Then the existence of such a 
Stow-a-way on board, undiscoverd for eight days, was at best im- 
probable ; for had starvation not forced an earlier discovery, the 
numerous cats and dogs on board would have inevitably flushed 
the bird. The condition of our visitor when discovered, and his 
ultimate fate, also preclude the possibility of his having traversed 
by steam power the distance from shore to mid-Pacific. 
o have reached us from the southward he must have flown 
Over I100 miles in the very teeth of a protracted and violent gale, 
a feat we may well set aside as impossible. One source of origin 
for our winged visitor alone remains: At the time of his discovery 
he had certainly just finished a long and utterly exhausting flight. 
Far northward on the Alaskan coast he must have been caught 
by the gale through which we passed, and borne out to sea be- 3 
yond hope of return, and then Swept on and on by the winds till » 
the sto 
y 
steamer Higo Maru, bound from Yokohama to Hakodate, and RA 
about twenty miles from the coast of Japan, the snow-covered = 
coast hills of which were plainly visible, a golden plover lighted | 
p. @ perfectly fresh condition on the davits. On being approached _ a 
nce the comparative condition of the two individuals 
