164
On Board the Steamship "Kensington".
1897.
July 1.
 Latitude, 40 [degrees]10 [minutes] N.
 Longitude, 67 [degrees] 45 [minutes] W. Noon observation.
 Run - - - - 231 miles.
 Clear and warm with light north wind and smooth sea.
 Steamer escorted all day by a swarm of Wilson's Petrels.
There must have been fully two hundred. Most of them followed
our broad wake skimming close over the creamy water churned by
the powerful screws. crossing and recrossing each others['] lines
of flight. Whenever table refuse was thrown overboard they as-
sembled quickly over the spot but I think that they also ob-
tained much food of a more primitive kind brought to the sur-
face by the violent agitation of the water.
 Late in the afternoon (at about 6 P.M.) a Cuckoo (appar-
ently C. americanus) came close about the ship flying high in
circles. Twice it tried to alight on one of the masts but at
the second attempt it got into the dense volume of black smoke
issuing from our funnel and at once started off towards the
S.W. It flew strongly and rapidly.
 Saw a solitary Puffinus major a little later.
 A school of fin whales are seen by the passengers, and
also many porpoises.