48 BULLETIN 121, UNITED STATES ISTATIOlSrAL MUSEUM. 



the coast, even in summer, is almost concealed in perpetual ice and 

 snow; only occasional outcroppings of rocky ledges protrude 

 tlirough the heavy banks of snow or glaciers on the land ; and only 

 here and there the summits of rocky islets appear above the sea 

 ice. The larger islands off this coast, which are surrounded by 

 water in summer, furnish suitable breeding grounds for large colo- 

 nies of this and other species, such as Antarctic petrels, Wilson 

 petrels, pintado petrels, McCormick skuas, and various penguins. 

 One of the most populous colonies was on Haswell Island, where, 

 during the first three days in December, " the silver-grey or southern 

 fulmar petrels were present in lai-ge numbers, especially about the 

 steep northeastern side of the island. Though they were mated, 

 laying had scarcely commenced, as we found only two eggs. They 

 made small grottoes in the snowdrifts, and many pairs were seen 

 billing and cooing in such shelters." 



Stillwell Island, a large, high, rocky island, a few miles off the 

 coast of Adelie Land, was visited on December 30, 1913. During 

 the previous summer, two of the eastern sledging parties had for 

 the first time observed the breeding habits of these birds among 

 isolated roclis outcropping on the edge of the coast. But here 

 there was a stronghold of hundreds of petrels, sitting on their eggs 

 in niches among the boulders or ensconced in bowers excavated be- 

 neath the sno'vv. which lay deep over some parts of the island. 



Food. — Godman (1907) says: 



It feeds on dead anininl matter, when it can be procured, and Dr. Townsend 

 found in tlie stomach of a bird that he examined some oil and the remains of 

 a cuttle lish. 



Behavior. — Eegarding its flight and behavior, Gould (1841) 

 observes : 



It is a tame, sociable, and silent bird, and often settles on the water. When 

 thus resting it might from a distance be mistaken, owing to the general color 

 of its plumage, for a gull. 



Godman (1907) says: 



It is said to \\y higher above the water and to rest more frequently than the 

 smaller species. 



And Mr. John Treadwell Nichols writes me as follows: 



The cape dove, or slender-billed fulmar, is much rarer on the South Seas 

 than the cape pigeon, with which it is practically identical in llight and habits, 

 being equally fearless, eager for scraps, and easily caught with hook and line. 

 A light mark near the end of its wing, cOns])icuous in flight, suggest the 

 stronger, not dissimilarly placed white mark of the more boldly colored cape 

 pigeon. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeding range. — Reported as breeding on Louis Philippe Land 

 (Cape lioquemaurel) and known to breed abundantly on Adelie 



