[ 27 6 ] 
The next inftance of a bird being caught at any 
diftance from land, is in Sir Hans Sloane’s voyage to 
Jamaica, who fays, that a lark was taken in the fhip 
40 leagues from the fhore : this therefore was cer- 
tainly an unfortunate bird, forced out to fea by a 
ftrong wind in flying from headland to headland, as 
no one fuppofes the fkylark to be a bird of paflage. 
The fame anfwer may be given to a yellow-ham- 
mer’s fettling upon Haffelquift’s fhip in the entrance 
of the Mediterranean, with this difference, that 
either the European or African coaft muft have been 
much nearer than 40 leagues *. 
The next faff to be confidered is what is men- 
tioned in a letter of Mr. Peter Collinfon’s, printed in 
the Philofophical Tranfadions J-. 
He there fays, “ That Sir Charles Wager had 
<c frequently informed him, that in one of his 
4C voyages home in the fpring as he came into found- 
4t ings in our channel, that a great flock of fwallows 
“ almoft covered his rigging, that they were nearly 
st fpent and famifhed, and were only feathers and 
<c bones j but being recruited by a night’s refl, they 
“ took their flight in the morning.” 
The firft anfwer to this is, that if thefe were birds 
which had crofted large trads of fea in their periodi- 
cal migrations, the fame accident muft happen eter- 
nally, both in the fpring and autumn, which is not 
however pretended by any one. 
In the next place, the fwallows are ftated to be 
fpent both by famine and fatigue ; and how were 
they to procure any flies or other fuftenance on the 
• * See Hafielquifl’s Travels, in princ. 
t 1760. Part II. p. 461. 
3 
rigging 
