26 



FALLING STARS. 



the dry hand over it ; but when the light is a second 

 time extinguished it cannot be reproduced. 



Between the island of Madeira and the coast of 

 Africa they were struck by the prodigious quantity 

 of falling stars, which continued to increase as they 

 advanced southward. These meteors, Humboldt 

 remarks, are more common and more luminous in 

 certain regions of the earth than in others. He 

 has nowhere seen them more frequent than in the 

 vicinity of the volcanoes of Quito and in that part 

 of the South Sea which washes the shores of Gua- 

 timala. According to the observations of Benzen- 

 berg and Brandes, many falling stars noticed in Eu- 

 rope were only 63,950 yards, or a little more than 36 

 miles high; and one was measured, the elevation 

 of which did not exceed 29,843 yards, or about 17 

 miles. In warm climates, and especially between 

 the tropics, they often leave behind them a train 

 which remains luminous for twelve or fifteen seconds. 

 At other times they seem to burst, and separate 

 into a number of sparks. They are generally much 

 lower than in the north of Europe. . These meteors 

 can be observed only when the sky is clear ; and 

 perhaps none has ever been seen beneath a cloud. 

 According to the observations of M. Arago, they usu- 

 ally follow the same course for several hours ; and 

 in this case their direction is that of the wind. 



When the voyagers were 138 miles to the east of 

 Madeira, a common swallow {Hirundo rustica) perched 

 on the topsail-yard, and was caught. What could 

 induce a bird, asks our traveller, to fly so far at this 

 season, and in calm weather ? In the expedition of 

 Entrecasteaux, a swallow was also seen at the dis- 

 tance of 207 miles off Cape Blanco ; but this hap- 

 pened about the end of October, and M. Labillar- 

 diere imagined that it had newly arrived from 

 Europe. 



The Pizarro had been ordered to touch at Lan- 

 cerota, one of the Canaries, to ascertain whether the 



