4 Ct'uise of the “ AtertT
Lieut. Gordon S. Gunn (subsequently became senior lieutenant).
Nav. Lieut. William H. Petley.
Sub-Lieut. James H. C. East (subsequently served as lieutenant).
Sub-Lieut. Charles W. de la P. Beresford (left the ship at
Singapore).
Staff-Surgeon Richard W. Coppinger, M.D.
Paymaster Frederick North.
Engineer, John Dinwoodie.
Engineer, William Cook.
Boatswain, Alfred Payne.
(Lieut. Grenfell joined the ship at Singapore, and remained
until the close of the commission.)
Our B ird Visitors,
A
CH A P T E R L
FROM ENGLAND TO THE FALKLANDS:
F T E R various delays, owing to defects in machinery, we
_ finally bade adieu to the shores of England on the 25 th
of September, 1878, taking our departure from Plymouth.
On the second day at sea the little storm-petrels appeared
over our wake, and accompanied us, off and on, for most of our
way to Madeira. These seemed to be of two kinds, the Thalas-
sidroma pelagica and Thalassidroma Leachii, the latter being sufficiently
recognizable from their having forked tails, in which
respect they differ from other species of the genus. Many attempts
were made to catch them by means of hooks baited with
fat, skeins of thread, etc., but all to no purpose; and I rather
fancy that in this thoroughfare of the ocean the wily creatures
have had too much experience of the arts of man, and are therefore
not to be caught so easily as their more ignorant brethren of
the southern hemisphere.
On the 28th of September, when 155 miles to the westward of
Cape Finisterre, and during a fresh easterly breeze, a sparrow-hawk
made his appearance, at first hovering round the ship, and ultimately
settling on the rigging. It had probably strayed too far
from the shore in the pursuit of some tempting prey, and had then
lost its reckoning, being eventually blown to seaward. A t ail
events, it had travelled some long distance, as it evinced its
weariness by resting quietly and contentedly on the main-top-
gallant rigging, until one of the seamen, who had managed to
I
m