AT SEA. 
3 
these, we steered more to the eastward, and soon 
lost sight of land. When we were about seventy 
miles from the shore, a Willow-wren, Motacilla 
Trochilus , was observed flying about the rigging 
of our vessel, and, soon after, a female Black-cap, 
Motacilla atricapilla; and, when we were still 
further out at sea, Hirundo domestica and H.Apus 
were skimming about us, and every now and then 
resting upon our ropes. These birds were pro¬ 
bably driven from our own coasts by the late 
strong westerly gales, as it is too late for the re¬ 
gular migration of these, our summer visitants. 
On the third morning of our losing sight of land, 
Hirundo urbica settled upon our rigging, and 
seemed much fatigued. We had, from the time 
of our leaving Hollesley Bay, so fine and so favor- 
Wednesday, a hle a wind, that on the Wednesday 
June 7 ° morning I was called from my cot, and 
asked if I knew the coast which was in sight. 
I immediately recognised Wick Castle, in Caith¬ 
ness, standing upon a rocky peninsula, and we 
soon descried Wick itself. From Sleigo, an ad- 
joining village, we took on board two pilots, and, 
with great rapidity, passed the three extraordinary 
conical and insulated rocks, called the Stacks of 
Duncansby. Here, we calculated that we had 
run seven hundred miles, and six hundred and 
twenty-two of these in three days. The Orkney 
Islands were, in a great measure, obscured from 
