94 
RAPIDITY OF FLIGHT, 
sibiy, from their native shores, by gales of wind, and 
no doubt often perishing in the waters, but still 
leaving survivors enough to give evidence of their 
uncommon strength of wing. Thus our well-known 
cheerful little bird, the Tomtit {Par us major), has 
been met with in latitude 40° north and longitude 
48° west, above 920 miles from land*; but a still 
more extraordinary instance, both as regards distance 
from land and situation, is that of a common Titlark 
( Alauda pratensis) having alighted on board a vessel 
from Liverpool, in latitude 47° 4' south, longitude 
43° 19' west, in Sept. 1825, at a distance of at least 
1300 miles from the nearest main land of South 
America, and about 900 from the wild and barren 
island of Georgia. The poor little traveller was 
taken, and brought back to Liverpool, where it was 
seen by Dr. Traill, one of our most eminent natu- 
ralists. An Owl has been also seen gliding over the 
midst of the Atlantic Ocean, with as much apparent 
ease as if it had been seeking for mice amongst its 
native fields. To the distant voyages of this bird, 
we can indeed add our own testimony, when sailing 
in the Mediterranean. At daylight a brown Owl 
was observed on the main-top-gallant yard, and 
secured by an active sailor : for three or four days 
it was detained, but as it appeared to pine, it was 
again turned adrift. At first it seemed bewildered, 
but after wheeling round the ship twice or thrice, 
it steered, direct as an arrow from a bow, for the 
nearest land, distant about eighty miles. 
We cannot, after this, be surprised to hear, that 
certain seafaring birds are constantly found at a 
* Forster’s North America, vol. i. 
