FORK-TAILED STORM-PETREL. I4I 



tlie scapulars with whity-brown tips ; lateral feathers of rump 

 and upper tail-coverts white ; lesser wing-coverts sooty-black 

 like the back ; median and greater coverts smoky-brown, 

 the inner greater coverts edged with whity-brown ; bastard- 

 wing, primary-coverts, and quills black, the inner secondaries 

 edged with whity-brown at the ends ; tail-feathers black, the 

 centre ones rather browner ; crown of head like the back, 

 the forehead and lores rather clearer ashy, like the cheeks 

 and throat : feathers round eye, sides of face, and ear-coverts 

 sooty-black, like the sides of the neck; throat rather 

 lighter ashy than the remainder of the under surface of 

 body, which is blackish-chocolate, somewhat lighter brown on 

 the under tail-coverts, the sides of the vent being white ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries dark chocolate-brown ; quills 

 below black ; bill, legs, feet, and claws, black ; iris dark hazel. 

 Total length, 8 inches; culmen, 0-65; wing, 6-o ; tail, 3*0; 

 tarsus, o'9. 



Adult Female.— Similar to the male. Total length, 7-5 inches ; 

 wing. 6'i5, 



Nestling, — Covered with sooty-brown down. 



Range in Great Britain. — " Leach's Petrel," as this bird is often 

 called, is found on all the coasts of Great Britain in winter, and 

 is often driven inland by storms. It breeds on S. Kilda, and 

 the outer Hebrides. In Ireland a few were found breeding, 

 according to Mr. Ussher, " on the Blasquets, off the Kerry coast, 

 in 1887, t888, and 1889, but not since." 



Range outside the British Islands.— The Fork-tailed Petrel is 

 found in the seas of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, inhabiting 

 the temperate waters of the northern hemisphere, as Mr. 

 Salvin puts it. 



Habits. — Mr. C. Dixon contributed to Seebohm's ''History of 

 British Birds " the following notes from S. Kilda : — " The chief 

 object of my visit to Doonwas to obtain the eggs of the Fork-tailed 

 Petrel, and I was successful beyond my highest expectations. 

 We crossed the bay in a small boat belonging to the smack, 

 dangerously overcrowded, as many St. Kildans as could 

 scramble into her going with us to search for eggs and catch 

 birds. Landing on this rock -bound islet was difficult work, 



