Page:Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Vol 4.djvu/217

1835.] almost every thing that leaves the ship, and this generally attracts the attention of the albatrosses, which keep at a greater distance.

I am much puzzled to account for the total disappearance of these birds during the night, and not only of these, but the albatrosses, stormy petrels and blue petrels also, for although they had continued about us in numbers all day, yet no sooner did the sun touch the horizon, than all disappeared as if by magic.

The question is, where do they go?

Petrels are said to be nocturnal; but such cannot be the case with the Cape petrel, stormy petrel, or blue petrel, for we had them sporting in our wake the whole day, and at night they disappeared, to rest I should suppose.

But where do they rest?

If on the waves, is it not strange that we never found them sleeping in the calm, clear moonlight nights, as we held steadily on our course? Yet never did we see one after sunset.

To suppose that they could wing their way to some of the rocky islands scattered through those southern latitudes would be absurd, for often we had flocks of these birds around us, when the nearest land must have been from 15 to 20 degrees distant, and although their powers of flight must be great indeed to enable them to keep on the wing with little intermission during the whole day, even when "blowing great guns," yet, as they did not leave us until sunset, with what fearful rapidity they would require to fly, when 10 or 1200 miles at sea, in order to reach their resting-places before the shades of night should overtake them!

Pigeons have been proved to fly at the rate of 60 miles an hour, but the petrels would require to perform a flight of 3 or 400 miles in the same time!!

That they are not nocturnal is clearly proved by their continuing with the vessel all day, and as it is evident they cannot exist without repose, we may fairly conclude that they rest at night, and again this rest must be taken on land or water.

That they cannot rest on land, is plain, from what I have already stated. There remains then nothing but the water for them, and we may conclude I think with safety that the reason of our not seeing them at night, is because they are able to descry the tall white-robed masts of the vessel at a sufficient distance to enable them to make a clean retreat before we came upon the spot which they had occupied, and this is the more probable, as they would, like other waterfowl when sleeping in any number, have a watchful sentinel to warn them of the approach of dangers to which they must be constantly ex-