C 2 7 ° ] 
Moft birds not only fleep during the night, but 
are as much incapacitated from diftinguilhing ob- 
jects well as we are, in the abfence of the fun: it 
is therefore inconceivable that they fhould choofe 
owl-light for fuch a diftant journey. 
Belides this, the Eaftern coaft of England, to which 
birds of paffage muff neceffarily firft come from the 
continent, hath many light-houfes upon it ; they 
would therefore, in a dark night, immediately make 
for fuch an objed, and deftroy themfelves by flying 
with violence againfl it, as is well known to every 
bat-fowler. 
Having endeavoured to anfwer thefe two fup- 
pofitions, by which it is contended that birds of 
paffage may efcape obfervation in their flight ; I 
Mall now confider all the inftances I have been able 
. to meet with of any birds being actually feen whilft 
they were eroding any extent of fea, though I 
might give a very fhort refutation to them, by in- 
filling, that if this was ever experienced, it muff 
happen as conftantly in a fea, which is much navigated, 
as the return of the feafons. 
I cannot do better than to follow thefe according 
to chronological order. 
The firff in point of time is that which is cited 
by Willoughby *, from Bellon, whofe words are thus 
tranflated, “ When we failed from Rhodes to 
<c Alexandria, many quails flying from the North 
towards the South, w r ere taken in our fhip, whence 
<c I am perfuaded that they fhift places ; for for- 
<c meriy, when I failed out of the ffle of Zant to 
* c Morea, or Negropont, in the fpring, I had ob- 
* B. II, c, ij. §. 8. 
« ferved 
