742 MANX SHEARWATER. 



mentioned ; and there are probably many others. In Erse and 

 Gaelic the bird's usual name is " Fachach." 



This Shearwater breeds in considerable numbers in the Faeroes, and 

 is met with on the coast of Norway, as well as throughout the North 

 Sea ; it is also plentiful in the south-west of Iceland, and has 

 occurred in South Greenland ; while it is recorded from the Azores, 

 Madeira and the Canaries. In American waters the Manx Shear- 

 water appears to be rare, and Capt. Collins has not observed it on 

 the fishing-grounds ; but I saw two examples outside the Straits of 

 Belle Isle on x-iugust 13- 14th 1884, looking very black as compared 

 with the Great Shearwater, and a bird from Brazil (formerly in my 

 collection) is in the British Museum. 



The single white egg is deposited in a slight nest of dry grass at 

 the end of a burrow, and is smooth in texture, with little of the 

 musky odour which is so pronounced in that of the Fulmar: measure- 

 ments 2 "4 by I "65 in. Incubation, in which the male takes part, 

 sometimes commences early in May ; while the nestling remains in 

 its home until long after it is fully fiedged, becoming enormously fat. 

 The food consists of surface-fish, offal, small cuttle-fish &:c. ; the oil 

 vomited by the bird is green, but leaves a yellow stain. The flight 

 is rapid and skimming, but — contrary to a popular idea — this 

 species often settles on the sea ; and it dives freely, remaining 

 under water for about 20 seconds. It is usually nocturnal or 

 crepuscular in its habits, but large flocks may also be seen by 

 •day. The note is cuck-cuck-do, generally repeated three times. 



The adult has the crown, nape, and upper parts sooty-black ; 

 under-parts white ; sides of the neck mottled with greyish-brown ; 

 behind the thighs a patch of sooty-brown ; bill blackish-brown, paler 

 at the base ; legs and feet flesh-coloured, the outer toes darker. 

 Total length 15 in. ; wing 9-5 in. The young bird resembles the 

 adult and has white under-parts. 



The Levantine Shearwater is the representative of our bird 

 throughout the Mediterranean, and is the well-known ame damnce 

 of the Bosphorus. Two examples from Devon are in the British 

 Museum, and Mr. J. H. Gurney has one from that county ; while I 

 believe that another was obtained off" Northumberland by the late 

 John Hancock, and one, procured off Scarborough on February 5th 

 1899, was sent in the flesh to the British Museum. It is browner 

 in tint than our Manx Shearwater, and not only are the under tail- 

 coverts and flanks dusky-brown, but the immature bird is dusky on 

 the bell}' ; it is moreover a larger species throughout; wing 10 in. 



