Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/85

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Nov.]
OF LA PEROUSE.
75

whole night; the next morning they blew as on the preceding days. On the 6th they left us at 9° 6′ N. lat. 21° E. long.

The heat was now exceſſive, though the thermometer was only 23° above 0 of Reaumur's ſcale.

A bird, called by Buffon goeland noir (larus marinus, Linn.), having lighted upon one of the yards, eſcaped from a ſailor, who had climbed up the maſt, in the very inſtant when he was about to ſeize it.

A prodigious number of bonitos followed us day and night; and it was a matter of great aſtoniſhment to us, that they were able to keep up with us ſo long without taking any reſt.

The motteux of Buffon (motacilla amanthe, Linn.), fatigued with its long flight over the ſea, lighted upon our veſſel, and ſuffered itſelf to be taken.

We were becalmed for ſeventeen days in lat. 5° N. We afterwards had ſtorms, followed by ſqualls, that varied from E.N.E. to S.S.W. having veered round by ſouth.

The tempeſt-bird (procellaria pelagica, Linn.) is not ſo ſure an indication of a ſtorm, but that its appearance is often followed by a calm of ſeveral days duration. It was a pleaſing ſight to obſerve theſe little birds flying cloſe to the ſtern

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