The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1

vii

The PREFACE.

The flesh of sharks and porpoises original: "Porpuses" would digest well with the sailors, especially when they had long been fed on salted meats. The pursuit of dolphins after flying-fish was another amusement we were often diverted with; the dolphins, having raised the flying-fish by the swiftness of their swimming, keep pace with them and pursue them so closely that the flying-fish, at length tired and their wings dried out—necessitating them to drop back into the water—often fall into the jaws of their pursuers. At some times, neither element affords them safety; for no sooner do they escape their enemies in the water than they are caught in the air by voracious birds.

But what seemed most remarkable of this kind was that, in the latitude of 26 degrees North, about midway between the two continents of Africa and America—which I think cannot be less than 600 leagues A league is a traditional unit of distance, roughly equal to 3 miles or 4.8 kilometers. 600 leagues is approximately 1,800 miles.—an owl appeared hovering over our ship. These birds have short wings and have been observed not to be capable of long flights; it being a common diversion for boys to run them down after the second or third flight. This owl, after some attempts to rest, disappeared. And on the same day, being the 22nd of March, a hawk with a white head, breast, and belly appeared in like manner; and the day after, some swallows appeared, but none ventured to alight on any part of the ship. No birds seem more able to continue long on their wings than hawks and swallows; but that an owl should be able to hold out so long a flight is, to me, most surprising.

As they were strong, we did not fail t?o feast upon them; and the sailors did not hesitate to accommodate themselves to the flesh of porpoise and sharks, when they had lived for a long time only on salted meats. Another of our amusements was to see the chase of dolphins after flying-fish; the dolphins force the flying-fish to rise out of the water, but as they swim as fast as the others fly, they pursue them so closely that the flying-fish, exhausted in the end and forced to plunge back into the water because their dried wings can no longer support them, often fall into the mouths of their enemies. Sometimes they find safety in neither one element nor the other; for as soon as they escape the fish pursuing them in the water, they are caught in the air by birds of prey.

But what appeared most singular to us in this regard was that, at the latitude of 26 degrees toward the North, roughly in the middle of the two continents of Africa and America—which I believe cannot be less distant from land than 600 leagues—we saw an owl flying above our vessel. These birds have short wings, and it is observed that they cannot fly very far; children even amuse themselves by tiring them out, which they succeed in doing after the second or third time they have made them take flight. This owl disappeared after having made some attempts to rest. And on the same day, which was the 22nd of May The English text on the left identifies the month as March, while this French translation identifies it as May., a hawk with a white head, breast, and belly appeared in the same manner; we also saw some swallows, but none dared to rest on any part of the ship. There are no birds that seem able to sustain themselves longer on their wings than the hawk and the swallow; but that an owl should have been capable of continuing its flight for so long a time is what seems very surprising to me.