308 A VOYAGE TO Book IX. 



about the fize of a wood pigeon, with a lliort thick 

 neck, a fmall head, the whole plumage white, and a 

 long tail in the form of a rabijunco or rufh, half an 

 inch diameter near the body, tapering its whole length 

 till it terminates in a point, whence it was called Rabi-. 

 juncos. Thefe birds are never feen above eight or ten 

 leagues from the fhore. 



From the time we firft faw the Dorado and Bonito, 

 the lad increafed in numbers as our latitude diminifhed* 

 W e now alfo faw the Tunny, and a great many flying 

 filh. We caught fome of all kinds; and here it is not 

 unworthy notice, that the Bonitos and Tunny-fifli bite 

 only from day break till about feven in the mOVning, 

 and again in the evening from fun-fet till dark. 



CHAP. II. 



Nautical Obfervations and Remarks on the Voyage 

 round Cape Horn. 



FROM the time of our (leering weft, being in the 

 latitude of the ifland, till we were under its me- 

 ridian, we failed 5 deg. 4 min. and a half, though all. 

 on board, who had kept an account of the Ihip's way, 

 imagined we were to the weft ward of it ; but the va- 

 riation of the needle convinced us, that our reckoning 

 was not to be depended on, and that the ftiip was 

 much farther to the eaftward than we imagined ; an 

 error owing principally to the motion of the currents, 

 which had drawn us at fuch a great diftance from the 

 land j all the French pilots on board the Delivrance 

 agreed in this particular-, and fome related, that when 

 they thought themfelves near the land, they had often 

 found the fhip above three hundred leagues to the eaft- 

 ward of their reckoning. I did not, however, make 

 .any corredion in my journal on this account; for 



which 



