were 170 miles west of Ireland and 360 miles S.W. of St. Kilda, in lat. 53° 51' N. On that day Fulmars surrounded the ship, and never left us again until we were past the north-water of Baffin Bay and embayed in the ice of Smith Sound. This observation of mine corroborates that of the late Professor Goodsir:—"Two days after we left Stromness, I noticed numbers of the Mollemoke or Fulmar Petrel, Procellaria glacialis, following us. When to the southward of lat. 53° they disappeared entirely; but whenever we were to the northward of that parallel, the whalers' constant companion, the 'Molly,' again made its appearance, and we were never without numbers of them to enliven us throughout the remainder of the voyage."[1]
October 24th, 450 miles from Cape Clear; wind S.W. A Starling alighted on the ship during the morning watch, and was captured. Greater Shearwaters, Kittiwakes, and Storm Petrels in attendance.
October 25th, 255 miles from the Skelligs. A Snipe, Scolopax gallinago, seen by me, also several small land birds chirping about the upper rigging.
October 26th, 129 miles from the Skelligs. A Snipe and a Sky Lark came on board and were captured. Several Greater Shearwaters about.
October 27th. The Greater Shearwaters followed our ship to within ten miles of the coast of Kerry, and then we left them. When we were off the Great Skelligs, numerous parties of Manx Shearwaters passed the ship.
My belief is that the land birds we met with so far out in the Atlantic had been carried there by strong south-easterly gales. In all probability, before crossing half the width of the Atlantic, they would be met by westerly winds, the prevailing ones in that part of the ocean, and if not too worn out might again reach European land. It is not, however, difficult to imagine how such birds might be transported to Greenland.
- ↑ 'Arctic Voyage,' R.A. Goodsir, 1850.
