173
On Board the Steamship "Kensington".
1897.
July 10.
 Latitude, 50 25 N.
 Longitude, 20 35 W.
 Run 310 miles
  Early morning cloudy but the remainder of the day sunny
with a smooth sea and almost no wind except late in the P.M.
when a fresh and chill easterly breeze blew for an hour or two
  The run through the British Channel occupied the entire
day and well into the night. The distance was obscured by the
usual English haze but we passed near enough to some of the
headlands to see distinctly downs, cultivated fields divided
by hedges into the usual checker board squares, towns and
country houses surrounded by parks and park woods. The white
chalk cliffs of the Isle of Wight were especially interesting
and striking. Water birds were very numerous. Gulls (chiefly
L. canus with now and then a L. argentatus) followed our steamer
during the whole forenoon in a long straggling flock compris-
ing upwards of a hundred birds. The Mew Gulls were very tame
coming up to within a few yards of the steamer and sometimes
hovering over and looking down at us.
  Murres and Razor-billed Auks in pairs were sprinkled a-
bout over the water sometimes allowing us to pass within a few
yards without either flying or diving. There wee also a few
Puffins. A solitary Gannet was the only other bird observed.