312 BIRDS OF NEW ENGLAND AND EASTERN NEW YORK 



the wings, which are black for some distance. Immature 

 birds look almost black ; only the under parts and a band 

 across the tail are light-colored. In a large flock there are 

 birds in intermediate stages of plumage. The old birds are 

 unmistakable ; in the sunlight their pure white looks al- 

 most luminous. In any plumage the habit of diving head- 

 long into the water from a height of from seventy-five 

 to a hundred feet will distinguish them from any other 

 large bird that goes in flocks. When flying, the long head 

 and neck extend in front and the long tail out behind, 

 giving them a very different appearance from that of a 

 gull. 



PETRELS, SHEARWATERS, ETC. : ORDER 

 TUBINARES 



PETRELS AND SHEARWATERS: FAMILY PRO- 

 CELLARIIDiE 



Two species of Shearwater and two species of Petrel 

 occur regularly at some distance off the shores of New York 

 and New England. Leach's Petrel breeds on islands off the 

 coast of Maine ; Wilson's Petrel and the two Shearwaters 

 occur as summer visitants. They may often be observed in 

 numbers from the decks of vessels crossing to the Maritime 

 Provinces, but still more abundantly and at close range 

 about the fishing schooners, where they collect to feed on 

 the refuse thrown overboard. 



Wilson's Petrel. Oceanites oceanicus 

 7.00 

 Ad. — Sooty-blackish; base of the tail white; tail square. 



Wilson's Petrel is a common summer visitant off the 

 coast of New York and New England from June to Sep- 

 tember. As soon as a vessel gets a few miles from shore, 



