264 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



or attempt to rear another brood during the season. But it was with 

 mnch surprise that bird lovers found that none of the beautiful Martins 

 were to return this year and many vvQuld like to know how they have 

 fared in other sections of the country. Will any of our subscribers who 

 can give any information on this point write and let us know if the usual 

 numbers or if any Martins have been seen by them this season. We 

 would like especially to know if they are more abundant than usual in 

 any locality to account for those which should haye returned to Massa- 

 chusetts and did not. 



I j^ ^'^LEACH PETREL, ^ ^ ; ; |i 



A. O- U. No. 106. (Oceaiiotlroma leucorrhoa). 



RANGE. 



North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans, breeding from Maine and 

 the Farallones north to the Artic Circle. They winter southward from 

 the Southern limits of their breeding grounds to the waters adjaceut to 

 Central America. 



DESCRIPTION, 



Length 8 inches. General color of plumage a brownish gray, more 

 browu below. The ends of the wing coverts and sometimes the se- 

 condaries are light grayish. The primaries and tail are black, the lat- 

 ter being deeply forked; the tail coverts are entirely white; the legs are 

 comparatively short as compared with most of the Petrels and are en- 

 tirely black. 



NEST AND EGGS. 



Petrels nest in the ground at the end of burrows, laying their Single 

 white eggs at the end either upon the bare earth or upon a scant lining 

 of grasses or rootlets. The eggs are a dead white in color and some- 

 times show a faint wreath of minute brown spots alwut the larger end; 

 size 1.35 X 1.00. They are laid during the latter part of June or early 

 in July and three weeks or more of incubatiun are required to hatch 

 them. 



HABITS. 



When upon land, Petrels are one of the most avvkward of birds; their 

 feet seem to be too weak to sustain even their slight weight and they 

 waddle from side to side balancing themselves with their long slender 

 wings. But give them their freedom to sail through the air and skim 

 over the water and they change immediately into a thing of grace. 



