W^llson's Petrel {Oceanites oceanicus) 



By Gerard Alan Abbott 



Length : 7 inches. 



Range: Atlantic Ocean, North and South America. 



The Httle petrels are commonly known everywhere as "Mother Carey's 

 Chickens." They are ocean wanderers who spend almost their whole lives on 

 the billows of the deep. Always they follow in the wake of ships, quickly pounc- 

 ing upon any refuse that may be thrown overboard. Even the smallest morsels 

 catch their eyes, and, to quote Nuttall, "they suddenly stop in their airy, swallow- 

 like flight, and whirl instantly down to the water. Sometimes nine or ten thus 

 crowd together like a flock of chickens scrambling for the same morsel ; at the 

 same time, pattering on the water with their feet, as if w^alking on the surface, 

 they balance themselves with gently fluttering and outspread wings, and often 

 dip down their heads to collect the sinking object in pursuit. On other occasions, 

 as if seeking relief from their almost perpetual exercise of flight, they jerk and 

 hop widely over the water, rebounding, as their feet touch the surface, with 

 great agility and alertness." 



Petrels delight in a storm, for it usually brings them food in plenty and they 

 seem to know when one is coming. They gather about the ship in a flock and 

 strike terror to the hearts of the superstitious sailors. When the waves run 

 wildest they mount them gleefully and are seen "descending their sides, then 

 mounting with the breaking surge which threatens to burst over their heads, 

 sweeping through the hollow waves as in a sheltered valley, and again mounting 

 with the rising billow, they trip and jerk sportively and securely on the surface 

 of the roughest sea, defying the horrors of the storm, and, like some magic 

 being, seem to take delight in braving overwhelming dangers." 



Petrels, it is said, get their name from their habit of walking on the water 

 like Peter of old. However, they only appear to patter over the surface with 

 their long, slender, black legs and little web feet, for in truth, they are supported 

 by the constant motion of their wings. At night, when these restless birds have 

 finally managed to tire themselves with their endless game of cross-tag and their 

 excursions far and wide on every side of the swiftly running ship, they tuck 

 their heads under their wings and settle down upon the waves to slumber peace- 

 fully. In the morning they are up and away with the wings of Mercury and 

 manage to overtake the vessel by nine or ten o'clock. 



Two species of petrel are common along our eastern coast. They are 

 Leach's petrel and Wilson's petrel. The only noticeable difference between them 

 is that the first has a forked tail and black webs between its toes, the latter a 

 "square" tail and yellow webs. Leach's petrel nests about the Bay of Fundy 

 and off the coast of Maine, but Wilson's petrel nests thousands of miles away 

 in the southern seas. The "home" of each is said to be a hole in the rock or 



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