STORMY PETREL 327 



cealed almost the whole day. They are said to lay but a 

 single egg, almost round, and wholly white. 



Length about 7J inches. Above sooty greyish-black ; beneath a 

 shade lighter. Top of the head somewhat darker. Wings pitch 

 black } 2d primary longest, the 1 st and 2d acute at the ends ; the 1st 

 a little longer than the 3d ; the graduation very rapid beyond the 

 4th. Wing coverts fading into white at the extremities, and outer 

 edges so as to produce the appearance of a greyish mantle. Scapu- 

 lars broad and short, slightly tipped with white, extending to the 

 top of the rump, which is white just above the tail ; some of the 

 longer tail coverts are however dusky and white. Sides of the rump 

 white. All the feathers close and thick. Tail forked, the 1st feather 

 half an inch shorter than the rest, all blunt or rounded at the ends. 

 Legs, feet, and bill, black. The bill | of an inch long ; the tube of 

 the nostrils rather short, inclined a little upwards, and obliquely 

 truncated. — For an opportunity of describing this rare species as it 

 occurs in America, I am indebted to Mr. Ives, who now possesses the 

 specimen. 



STORMY PETREL. 



( Thalassidroma pelagica, Vigors. Bonap. Synops. No. 3. Append. 



(note 27.) Procellaria pelagica, Lath. sp. 19. Temm. Man. d'Orn. 



ii. p. 810. Bonap. in Journ. Acad. Phil. iv. p. 227. pi. 8. Stormy 



Petrel, Lath. Suppl. i. p. 269. Edwards, Glean, t. 90. Pens. 



Brit. Zool. p. 146. t. L. 5. Le Pitrel, Briss. vi. p. 140. t. 13. 



fig. 1.) 

 Sp. Charact. — Sooty black; upper tail coverts white, with black 



tips ; tail even, the wings extending a little beyond it ; tube of the 



nostrils nearly straight ; tarsus seven eighths of an inch long. 



There is reason to believe that this, as well as the preceding 

 species, inhabits the whole Atlantic, and is consequently found on 

 the coasts of the United States as well as those of Europe. In short, 

 most of the Stormy Petrels, which I have seen off the soundings of 

 the coast, have uniformly had black feet and even tails ; as far as I 

 could judge at the near distance to which they sometimes approach- 

 ed the vessel in which I was sailing. 



