124 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
1818. 
May31. 
June 1. 
2 . 
3. 
4. 
W e therefore bore up, and at four o’clock the 
coast was lost sight of from 
Latitude * . . 11° 43' 45" 
Longitude . . 129° 47' O' 
From this, having ran four miles and a half on a 
N.W. course, we passed over a small coral bank 
in thirteen fathoms ; at eight o’clock, we were 
in forty-two fathoms sandy mud; but between 
midnight and four a.m., we passed over another 
coral bank, on which the least water was eighteen 
fathoms. 
On the 2d June, two small birds were caught ; 
they proved to be the Java swallow (kirundo 
esculenta ), the nest of which is esteemed as a 
great delicacy, and is an article of trade between 
the Malays and Chinese. Large quantities of pu- 
mice-stone were also seen floating on the water; 
on one piece was found a sea centipede, about 
four inches long, covered with fine bristly hair ; 
it was feeding upon two barnacles (lepas amii- 
fera ) which had attached themselves to the stone. 
This morning the high land of Timor was seen 
from N.N.W. to N.W. \ W. ; and, at sunset, 
the highest part bore N. 70° W., 30 leagues off. 
At day -break, the 4th, we were off the S.W. 
point of the island, and at nine o’clock entered 
the Strait of Samow ; but, from light winds, we 
