WILSON'S PETREL. 51 



arctic ice barrier on the 14th February, 187-1 ; the Rev. 

 A. E. Eaton, uaturaHst to the Trausit-of- Venus Expedition, 

 found it breeding on Kerguelen Island ; and its range ap- 

 pears to extend over the South Atlantic to Australia and 

 New Zealand, and across the South Pacific to Chili and Peru. 

 In the North Atlantic it is common along the American 

 coasts, visiting the West Indies and Mexico. It has been 

 stated by Audubon that ^Yilson's Petrel bred on the Mud 

 Islands off Nova Scotia, and former Editions of the present 

 work contained a lengthy extract upon its nidification and 

 habits ; but the accuracy of his observations being uncon- 

 firmed and, in fact, denied, it has been considered expedient 

 to substitute the following account of the breeding of this 

 species on Kerguelen Island, as given by the Ptev. A. E. 

 Eaton (Phil. Trans, clxviii, p. 133) :— 



" Erom the 10th of October, when we passed Cape Sand- 

 wich, until the middle or third week of November, we com- 

 pletely lost sight of the Storm-Petrels. About the period 

 last mentioned, however, they began to frequent Observatory 

 Ba}^ in large numbers. Their first appearance in it took 

 place during a strong breeze which lasted several days. 

 When this was succeeded by more moderate weather we saw 

 little of them in the day-time ; but towards evening they 

 used to fly over the water like Swallows, and some of them 

 might be observed flying near the ground far away into the 

 country, following the course of the valleys or playing round 

 the inland cliffs. We tracked them along the lower hill- 

 sides and the margins of lakes over rocks and bogs ; but our 

 efforts to learn what became of them were unattended with 

 success. Probably at that time they were not preparing to 

 breed, and the birds were merely going overland from the 

 bay to other inlets of the sea. At length, when we went to 

 Thumb Peak, their mode of nesting was discovered. Care- 

 fully watching, with Lieut. Goodridge, R.N., the birds flying 

 to and fro about the rocks, we observed that they occasionally 

 disappeared into crevices amongst piles of loose stones, and 

 crept under loose masses of rock. Having meanwhile ascer- 

 tained their call, we were able, by listening attentively, to 



