General Science. 
415 
crakes, as if they had been placed there with the greatest care, 
not a feather being out of its place, and apparently lifeless. The 
circumstance surprised the workmen so much, that they took the 
birds to the farmer, who, having examined them, was of opinion 
they were in a torpid state ; and being desirous of ascertaining 
whether it was the case, placed them near a fire in a warm room. 
In the course of a very short time, he observed a tremulous mo- 
tion in a leg of one of the birds. He soon after noticed motion 
in the legs and wings of the whole. Efforts to move and rise 
became rapidly more apparent ; and, finally, the birds were en- 
abled to run and fly about the room. These particulars were 
related to me by the farmer in the year 18G6.” 
A similar fact is mentioned in Mr Neill’s Tour in the Ork- 
ney and Shetland Islands, p. 204., on the authority of a gentle- 
man of the country. 
IV. GENERAL SCIENCE. 
44. Colour of the Arabian Sea . — Soon after two o’clock of 
February 12.1811, a partial line of green water, such as generally 
indicates shallows, and perfectly different from the blue of a 
deep sea, was perceived extending considerably. It appeared 
at first to be two or three miles before us, and was probably 
eight or nine from land. The navigating master did not sup- 
pose that it was occasioned by a shoal, but ascribed it rather to 
the late fall of rain. Some thought it the effect of tides, or 
feared that we had approached a sand bank ; and the pilot ac- 
knowledged that many parts of this coast were but little known, 
as vessels inclined mostly to the opposite Arabian shore. Our 
ship, therefore, was put about. We then sounded, and were 
relieved from any apprehension by finding the depth to be sixty- 
three fathoms. Towards evening we sailed directly into the line 
of green water ; and so strongly and suddenly was it distinguish- 
ed from the blue surface which we had left, that, as a passenger 
remarked, the Lion must have been at one moment floating in 
a sea of two different colours. Here we again sounded, but 
could not find bottom at less than seventy-nine fathoms. Had 
this phenomenon been peculiar to the Persian Gulph, not far 
from the entrance to which we observed it, the epithet green , 
bestowed on that branch of the ocean by eastern geographers. 
