OCEAN NOTES.
Thanks again to Messrs. Gray and Anderson, I have some interesting items of migration to record, taken by the latter gentleman on board the steamship 'Marathon' in the Atlantic. These are best given in extenso; and land-notes will be given after the paragraphs on each species or group.
Steamship 'Marathon,' outward bound from Liverpool, April 16th, 1884.
April 17th.—A small bird came on board at 7 p.m., 15 miles from nearest land. (Position of ship at noon, Queenstown). Wind easterly for ten hours previous, and was increasing to moderate gale from E.N.E. when the bird was seen. From the description of this bird it can scarcely have been other than a Whinchat or Stonechat. No Petrels.[1]
[1] The lat. and long, give the ship's position at noon each day.
April 18th.—At 7 p.m., another, precisely the same species as yesterday's, 310 miles from land; not caught. Eight Kittiwakes and four Manx Shearwaters. Wind light E. all day. (Position of ship at noon, lat. 51° N., long. 15° 47′ W.). No Petrels.
April 19th.—Two Kittiwakes all day, till 580 miles from land. Little Auks[2] (?) seen frequently in parties of two to eight all day. Two Shearwaters, 600 miles from land. Lat. 60° 1′, long. 22° W.
[2] Called "Little Puffins," size of Water Ouzel, in notes.
April 20th.—At 8 a.m., one Manx Shearwater, 770 miles out. Several pairs of little Auks during forenoon. At 5 p.m., two Black-backed Common Shearwaters, 870 miles from land, outward bound. No Petrels.
April 21st.—At 7 a.m., two Common Shearwaters, 1090 miles from Fastnet. At 11.30 a.m., two Wilson's Petrels, 1145 miles out. Lat. 46° 37′, long. 36° 18′; calm. (Note.—Previous to this date the note was appended to each day's entry, "No Petrels.")
April 22nd.—At 8 a.m., one Wilson's Petrel (i.e., Oceanites oceanicus, Kuhl.), 1400 miles out from Fastnet; and one at 4 p.m., 1500 miles. At 7 p.m., two large Puffins[3] flying south. Wind light E. Lat. 44° 11′, long. 42° 22′.
[3] Common Puffin, "Tammy Norie," Fratercula arctica (Linn.).
April 23rd.—At 11 a.m., two black-looking birds, like Gulls (? Skuas) flying rapidly to N.E. During the day saw several specimens of the large sea-bird usually seen on the banks (of which we are now within sixty miles). [Probably from description the immature of some species of large Gull.—J. A. H. B.]. Numerous small parties of two or three of the Little Auk, and two large Puffins. From 6 to 7 p.m., saw numerous parties of ten to twelve of some kind of (apparently) Plover, flying south. No Petrels. Lat. 42° 28′, long. 43° 39′; wind light N.E.
April 24th.—At 7 a.m., three Black-footed Petrels,—Fork-tailed Petrel (Thalassidroma leucorrhoa),—and two Wilson's Petrels. At 5 p.m., one Little Auk and one Gull (yellow beak and legs), 700 miles from Boston at noon. Lat. 42° 24′, long. 55° 05′; wind light easterly.
April 25th.—At 8 a.m., six "Shore" Gulls and two Little Auks. At 5 p.m., one Skua. No Petrels. Lat. 42° 24′, long. 61° 21′; calm.
April 26th.—Occasional Gulls all day. No Petrels. Wind light N.; 141 miles from Boston at noon.
Return Voyage of Steamship 'Marathon' from Boston, May 3rd.
May 3rd.—At 11 a.m., when 220 miles from Boston, one Common Swallow (by description a Martin.—J. A. H. B.) going west(!). Eight Black-footed Petrels; one Solan Goose, immature; numerous Gulls. At 6 a.m., apparently the same Solan Goose, twelve Wilson's Petrels, numerous Gulls, five Puffins, and two Little Auks. Lat. 42° 16′, long. 65° 58′; wind light W.
May 5th.—At 8.30 a.m., one Skua. Thirty to forty Wilson's Petrels all day. At 6 p.m., a couple of Gulls, and some Puffins. Lat. 42° 10′, long. 59° 56′; wind light to mod. W.
May 6th.—From 8 a.m. till dark, thirty Wilson's Petrels, two Little Auks, and one Gull. Lat. 42° 04′, long. 53°; wind mod. N.W.
May 7th.—All day, twenty Wilson's Petrels, and four Manx Shearwaters. Lat. 42° 56′, long. 46° 46′; wind fresh N.W.
May 8th.—At 8 a.m., one Black-footed Petrel (Fork-tailed Petrel probably, Wilson's being yellow-webbed between the toes—J. A. H. B.). Wind strong N.
May 9th.—At 8 a.m., five Terns flying N. At 8.30, twelve Terns resting on sea ahead, flew north. At 5 p.m., seven or eight Wilson's Petrels flying north, very tired-looking, and never heeded the ship. One "Black-footed Petrel" flying N. Lat. 47° 29′, long. 36° 09′; wind strong N.
May 10th.—Very numerous parties of Terns all day, flying north, three to twelve in number. At 9 a.m., one Skua, one Black-footed Petrel, and one Kittiwake. Lat. 49° 12′, long. 30° 04′, or 794 miles from Fastnet; wind strong to mod. N.
May 11th.—At 8 a.m., several parties of Terns, and three Skuas, all going north. At 8.30 a.m., one Kittiwake. At 5 p.m., three Kittiwakes. At 7 p.m., three Skuas circling about. No Petrels. Lat. 50° 81′, long, 23° 19′; wind mod. N.
May 12th.—At 8 a.m., sixteen Kittiwakes, 10 Wilson's Petrels, and four Manx Shearwaters. At 6 p.m., three Skuas, and two very dark hawk-looking birds, evidently in company, one very dark and the other had white vest and throat (Mr. Anderson's "Skuas" are probably Pomatorhine Skuas, and these last Richardson's Skuas.—J. A. H. B.). At 6.30 a flock of eighty or ninety Terns flying high and going N. and W., and circling frequently as if in doubt as to the proper course. They approached the ship from N.E., and were lost to sight astern, still undecided. One Puffin.
May 13th.—At 8 a.m., one (by description) Richardson's Skua flew past, seaward, ten miles from Queenstown, at noon. No Petrels.
May 14th.—Only Gulls and Puffins.
The 'Marathon' is again advertised to sail for Boston on June 18th.
Cunard Royal Mail Steamship, 'Gallia.'
At a later date Mr. Anderson sends a note on Solan Geese:—"On Jan. 20th we passed numerous Solan Geese at Cape St. Vincent. They could not fly, and many had a hard job to flutter off on the surface sufficiently far to clear the ship. I saw one black one. The others were mostly white, with yellowish heads and greyish beaks. They all had the appearance of being fully fledged. One Robin stayed a day on board between Naples and Burriana, in Spain."
We suspect the regular appearance of Solans so far to the southward will turn out to be closely associated with the migrations of fish, possibly pilchards; and that, gorged with these fish, they were unable to rise off the water, this difficulty not arising from any state of moult in the bird's plumage.—J. A. H. B.
Union Steamship 'Athenian.'—First Voyage, 1884.
Thanks also to Mr. Spearman Swinburne, of Union Steamship 'Athenian,' I have several good schedules returned from two voyages—one in spring, between April 5th and 29th; and the second between Aug. 24th and Oct. 4th.
April 5th.—One Robin, one Yellowhammer, a flock of Jackdaws, three Lapwings, and one Crested Lark (A. cristata), between 7 a.m. and 2 p.m.; strong S.S.E.; v. c. r. The Robin alighted, so did the Yellowhammer. The Jackdaws were flying to eastward. The Lapwings followed the ship, and the Crested Lark alighted on board. The Robin and Yellowhammer were seen in lat. 53° N., long. 9° E.; the others in lat. 54° N., long. 10° E.
April 12th.—Seven Red-throated Divers, flying E.; one lot of three, the rest singly, all with white throats; 6 to 7 a.m.; light N.W., clear; off Schelling light-vessel.
April 20th.—One Wheatear, 2 p.m. till dark; light N.E., v. c.; alighted on board. Lat. 46° N., long. 8° W.
April 22nd.—Bulwer's Petrels, throughout the morning; W., strong, v. c.; about nine or ten in all flying singly, generally against the wind. Lat. 34° N., long. 16° W. Also one "white-breasted" Petrel, at 7 a.m., same lat. and long., fluttering on surface. One Black Tern (in full black plumage); and on April 29th, Sooty Terns and Common Terns; a large flock at 9 a.m., wind light S., including with these species a dark species of Gull.[4] Lat. 1° S., long. 13° W.
[4] Or Falcon (?).—J. A. H. B.
Remarks.—Oct. 19th, off Cape Point (Cape of Good Hope). Passed through numbers of Great Shearwaters, and continued seeing them up to Algoa Bay. This is the first time I have seen them on this coast, and they are not included among the birds of S. Africa. On our return, on November 2nd, we passed smaller numbers of them, chiefly flying to the S.W. Nov. 16th, off Bejouga Islands, observed a Skua in uniform brown plumage chasing two grey and white birds, apparently some kind of pigeon. While one bird was being attacked, the other would rise in the air and attack the Skua in turn, and this continued till I lost sight of them. The same day, at 1 p.m., saw what looked like land; on approach turned out to be enormous flocks of sea-birds feeding and moving to the N.E. Those we saw afterwards were nearly all Greater Shearwaters.
Migratory Birds seen at Sea.—Dec. 18th, 1884, to Feb. 17th, 1885.
| Date. | Lat. | Long. | Wind. | Weather. | Birds. | Remarks. |
| Dec. 19 | Plymouth | Sound. | ||||
| " 29 | 6° 45′ N. | 15° 16′ W. | N.E., 2 | b. c. | 1 Hoopoe. | Flying about ship; alighted. |
| " 30 | 2° 31′ N. | 12° 16′ W. | Vble. | b. c. | 1 Black Tern. | Close to ship. |
| " 31 | 1° 43′ S. | 9° 30′ W. | S.E., 2 | b. | Sooty Terns. | A large flock. |
| " " | 1° 43′ S. | 9° 30′ W. | S.E., 2 | b. | Black Terns. | Several. |
| 1885. | ||||||
| Feb. 3 | 9° 23′ S. | 3° 22′ W. | S.E., 1, 2 | b. c. | Sooty Tern. | 1. |
| " 4 | 4° 54′ S. | 6° 44′ W. | S.S.E., 2 | b. | Black Tern. | 1. |
| " 6 | 3° 54′ N. | 13° 18′ W. | S.S.E., 2 | b. c. | Black Tern. | 1. |
| " 9 | 18° 03′ N. | 17° 36′ W. | N.E., 4 | b. | Grey Phalarope. | Small flock flying N. |
| " 10 | 22° 56′ N. | 16° 56′ W. | N.E., 3, 4 | b. | 2 Terns (Common Arctic). | |
| " " | 22° 56′ N. | 16° 56′ W. | N.E., 3,v4 | b. | Grey Phalarope. | A flock flying N.; some swimming. |
(Signed) S. Swinburne.
Steamship 'Athenian.'—Second Voyage, 1884.
| Date. | Number, Name, or Species of Bird. | Time when seen. | Force and Direction of Wind. | Weather, Clear, or Fog, Rain, or Snow, etc. | Ship's Position at Noon. | General Observations | |
| Lat. | Long. | ||||||
| Aug. 24 | 3 Curlews | 7 a.m. | Ely., Vble., 1 to 4 | o. c. r. | 11° 25′ N. | 17° 28′ W. | Flying E. |
| " " | 3 Curlews | 7.30 to 8 a.m. | Ely., Vble., 1 to 4 | o. c. r. | 11° 25′ N. | 17° 28′ W. | 2 flew round the ship for ½ hour, when they were joined by another, and flew S.W. |
| " " | 4 Sandpipers (Common) | 7 to 9 a.m. | Ely., Vble., 1 to 4 | o. c. r. | 11° 25′ N. | 17° 28′ W. | Flying E. |
| " 25 | 1 Yellowhammer | 9.30 a.m. | E., 4 | b. c. | 16° 19′ N. | 17° 33′ W. | Alighted on board. |
| " 26 | 1 Sandpiper (Common) | Noon. | N.E., 3 to 4 | b. c. | 21° 01′ N. | 17° 21′ W. | Flying E. |
| " 26 | 1 Sandpiper (Common) | 9 a.m. | N.E., 4 to 5 | b. c. | 25° 20′ N. | 16° 53′ W. |Flying E. | |
| " 31 | 23 Curlews | 5.30 p.m. | N.W., 3 | b. | 41° 16′ N. | 10° 44′ W. | A flock flying S. |
| Sept. 2 | 1 Sandpiper | 7 a.m. | W., 1 to 2 | b. c. | 49° 00′ N. | 7° 00′ W. | Markings very bright; not common species. |
| " 14 | 1 Rook (or Carrion Crow) | 6 a.m. | E., 4 | b. c. | 52° 31′ N. | 3° 30′ E. | Flying E. |
| " " | 2 Small birds | 9 a.m. | E., 4 | b. c. | 52° 31′ N. | 3° 30′ E. | Flying E. |
| " " | 4 Sandpipers | 5.30 p.m. | E., 4 | b. c. | 62° 31′ N. | 3° 30′ E. | Flying E. |
| " " | Several small birds heard about the ship during the night. | ||||||
| " " | 3 flocks of Scoters | 7 a.m. | E.S.E., 4 | b. | Off Heligoland. | Flying S. | |
| " " | 1 Skylark | 7 a.m. | E.S.E., 4 | b. | Off Heligoland. | Flying S.E. | |
| " " | 4 Starlings | 8 a.m. | E.S.E., 4 | b. | Off Nieuwarke. | Flying E. | |
| " " | 1 large flock of birds | 8 a.m. | E.S.E., 4 | b. | Off Nieuwarke. | Flying E. | |
| " 19 | 1 Wheatear | 8 a.m. | N., 2 | c. | Off Terschelling Lt.-Sh. | Flying E. | |
| " " | Several birds (prob. Wheatears) | 8 a.m. | N., 2 | c. | Off Terschelling Lt.-Sh. | Flying E. | |
| " " | 1 Rock Pigeon | 10 a.m. | N.N.E., 2 | c. | 18 miles S.W. of do. | Flying E. | |
| " 28 | 1 Hobby | 6 p.m. | N.W., 3 | b. c. | 41° 53′ N. | 11° 06′ W. | Flying S. |
| Oct. 2 | 2 Black Terns | 7 a.m. | N.E., 5 | c. | 22° 59′ N. | 17° 34′ W. | Black plumage. |
| " " | 1 Swallow | 4 p.m. | N.E., 4 to 3 | b. c. | 22° 59′ N. | 17° 34′ W. | Flying about ship. |
| " 3 | 1 Swallow | 7 a.m. | Nly., 1 to 2 | b. | 17° 32′ N. | 17° 54′ W. | Flying S.E. |
| " " | 1 Wagtail | 5 p.m. | W.N.W., 2 | b. | 17° 32′ N. | 17° 54′ W. | A greyish species. |
| " 4 | 1 Black-crested Grass Warbler | 5 p.m. | W.N.W., 2 | b. | 17° 32′ N. | 17° 54′ W. | Alighted on board. |
| " " | 3 Black Terns | 8 a.m. | Variable, 1 | b. | 12° 19′ N. | 17° 30′ W. | |
| " " | Several flocks of Terns seen at times. | Variable, 1 | b. | 12° 19′ N. | 17° 30′ W. | ||
| " " | 1 Curlew | 9 a.m. | Variable, 1 | b. | 12° 19′ N. | 17° 30′ W. | Flying W. |
| " " | 1 Turnstone | 9 a.m. | Calm | b. | 12° 19′ N. | 17° 30′ W. | Flying round ship. |
| " " | 3 Swallows | 4 to 6 p.m. | Calm | b. m. | 12° 19′ N. | 11° 30′ W. | One caught on board. |
| " 5 | 1 Swallow | 6 p.m. | S.S.W., 2 | b. c. | 7° 40′ N. | 15° 18′ W. | |
| Nov. 16 | 2 Pigeons (?) | 8 a.m. | N.W., 2 | c. r. | 12° 47′ N. | 17° 50′ W. | Plumage grey, white. |
| " " | 1 Pigeon | 9 a.m. | N.W., S | c. r. | 12° 47′ N. | 17° 50′ W. | Similar to Blue Rock. |
| " " | Sandpiper | 9 to 10 a.m. | N.W., S | c. r. | 12° 47′ N. | 17° 50′ W. | |
| " " | Small bird | 1 p.m. | N.W., a | c. r. | 12° 47′ N. | 17° 50′ W. | Alighted on board. |
| " 21 | 1 Snipe | — | N.E., 4 | c. | 35° 35′ N. | 15° 20′ W. | Flying round ship. |
| " 24 | Small bird | — | N.N.W., S | b. c. | 47° 33′ N. | 7° 37′ W. | |
Thanks to Mr. T. Southwell, of Norwich, I have the following returns from the Polar Seas:—
Voyage of Steamship 'Eclipse' in Polar Seas, from the Log of Capt. David Gray.
The 'Eclipse' left Peterhead on Feb. 28th, 1884, and Lerwick on March 12th. On that day Bottlenose Whales were seen hurrying northward, as well as a few "Mallemauks." Lat. at noon 60° 25′ N., long. 0° 41′ W.; wind true S.; force 4[5]; temp, of air 42°, of sea 44°. At 8 p.m., temp, of water 47°.
[5] The strength of the wind is according to Beaufort scale.—D. G.
March 14th.—Lat. at noon, 66° 4′ N., d. r., long. 3° 50′ W., d. r. South. Force 9. Temp, of air 42°, of water 40°. Numbers of "Mallemauks," and one or two "Looms."
March 17th.—Noon. Lat. 72° 23′ N. d. r., long. 5° 44′ W. d. r. E. ½ N. Force 5. Temp, of air 25°, of water 29°. Made the ice at 11.30 a.m. Slight sludge. Saw several "Snow Birds" (Ivory Gulls), as well as a flock or two of "Rotges" (Little Auks).
March 20th.—Noon. Lat. 73° 0′ N. d. r., long. 5° 30′ W. d. r. N. 6 E. ½ E.; force 10. Temp, of air 20°, of water 29°. Young ice. "Snow Birds" and "Burgomasters" were flying N.N.E., which was significant, as these birds are always present in vast numbers where a large herd of seals is.
April 25th.—Noon. Lat. 73° 28′ N., long. 2° 50′ E.; S. ½ W.; force 5; temp, of air 36°, of water 29·5°. We passed through the sealing grounds (where on the 4th to 7th the young brood of seals had been killed). Many crangs [skinless bodies of the young seals] covered with snow were still visible, and around them flocked myriads of "Snow-birds" and "Burgomasters."
April 26th.—Noon. Lat. 73° 25′ N., long. 5° 6′ E.; N.N.W.; force 4; temp, of air, 24°, of water 29°. Saw many flocks of Eider Ducks going N.E.; and "Mallemauks" numerous.
April 27th.—Noon. Lat. 74° 15′ N., 4° 30 E.; W.N.W.; force 4; temp, of air, 17·5°, of water 29°; at the pack-edge. Several "schools" of old Saddle-back Seals seen going N.E.; and "Rotges," "Looms," and "Dovekies" also on their northward journey.
May 3rd.—Noon. Lat. 78° 36′ N., long. 1° 13′ E.; N.E. by N.; force 8; temp, of air 15°, of water 29°; at the pack-edge. "Rotges" very numerous to-day and yesterday.
May 9th.—Noon. Lat. 78° 35′ N., long. 0° 10′ W.; W. ½ S.; force 3; temp, of air 24°, of water 30·5°; among floes. At five o'clock got into a large water surrounded with floes. A few "Unicorns" were sporting about in the still water; flocks of "Rotchies" and "Looms" were flying hither and thither, and some were swimming about engaged in diving for "whales'-food," upon which they subsist. A bear or two seen on the floe.
May 12th.—Noon. Lat. 78° 47′ N., long. 2° 41′ E.; N.N.W.; force 2; temp, of air 18°, of water 29°; among floes. Got into the land-water of Spitzbergen. Saw many "Mallemauks."
May 15th.—Noon. Lat. 79° 20′ N., long. 2° 55′ E.; S.E.; force 3; temp, of air 26·5°, of water 29·5°; at pack-edge. A few "Unicorns" seen; and a Hawk came on board, apparently dying of hunger.
May 16th.—The Hawk seemed to be recovering, but on May 17th fell overboard and was drowned.
May 27th.—Noon. Lat. 77° 40′ N., long. 3° 20′ E.; S. ½ W.; force 6; temp, of air 27°, of water 31° The water is very rich with "whales' food"; "Unicorns" are numerous, and birds in thousands.
June 6th.—Noon. Lat. 77° 53′ N., 4° 25′ W.; temp, of air 35°, of water 31°. "Whales' food" abundant, and birds numerous. A few "Unicorns" seen, and one bear.
June 7th.—Noon. Lat. 77° 57′ N., 4° 52′ W.; N.W. ½ W.; force 1; temp, of air 36°, of water 33·5°; floes and loose ice. Narwhals have been numerous; also birds, chiefly "Rotchies"; and one or two bears.
June 10th.—Noon. Lat. 78° 3′ N., long. 0° 24′. W.; S.W. by S. ½ S.; force 3; temp, of air 33°, of water 33·5°. Many birds. Quantities of whales blowing, and greasy water. "Rotchies," "Looms," and Narwhals numerous.
June 11th.—Noon. Lat. 73° 38′ N., long. 0° 4′ E.; S. ½ W.; force 3; temp, of air 35°, of water 35°. Birds and Seals numerous; a few "Unicorns" seen; and some bears in sight at 12 p.m.
Steamship 'Persia.'
Mr. John S. Alston writes under date of November 4th, 1884,—a date as will be noted correlating with date of a great rush on our E. Coast of Britain (J. A. H. B.),—as follows:—"We hope to make Port Said to-morrow, after a very fair run all the way from home. During the last three days we have been visited by more little birds than I ever saw before at sea. So far as I can judge, they were mostly Finches; but we saw two Quails and, of all birds in the world, a Robin-redbreast, who most characteristically seemed quite at home; and when he was frightened by a Hawk, which was in close pursuit of this flock of birds, Robin quietly hopped down the 'companion' into the engineers' quarters. I had seen another Robin off Tarifa, the southern point of Europe, but I was much struck to see this little fellow come on board flying due south, the nearest land being Cape Matapan, hundreds of miles away. Of course he may have been blown off shore by a northerly gale, but when we met him he was flying against a southerly breeze. The Hawk followed these birds, hovering about the ship all day, but took his departure in the night. He was a small one—a Merlin, I think."—(Signed) John S. Alston.