Tribe LONGIPENNES.' 

 Family mOCELLAHIDAE. ThePetrels. 



Ch. — Bill more or less If ngllicnrd, crmpresspd, and dep| ly grroved, appraring to be 'ornipd of several distin'-t parts ; the tip 

 8 strong, niucli hooked, and acute ; the nostrils 0(^en fiom distinct tuLes, eitlier single or double, and are situated at the base 

 of the upper mandible. 



All flie birds embraced in tbis family are strictly oceanic, some of tbe smaller species only 

 being observed in bays near the ocean during or after a storm. They vary greatly in size, some 

 being quite diminutive, while others are equal in dimensions to the largest known birds of 

 fliglit. 



Two sub-families, namely, Dkmedtinae and Procellarinae, constitute this family, the dis- 

 tinguishing characters of which aie as follows : 



DiOMEDEiNAE — Bill very strong, curved, and acute at the end ; nostrils short, tubular, and 

 situated on the sides of the upper mandib'e near the base. 



Procellarinae. — Bill more or less strong, curved at the end, and pointed ; nostrils tubular, 

 situated on the culmen, near the base, and opening forwards. 



Sub-Family DIOMEDEINAE.— The Albatrosses. 



Ch — These birds have powerful bills, much curved, and p"inted at the end; the nostrils resemble short pipes, and are 

 situated on each side of the upper mandible, near the bate of the lateral groove ; feet large and wthbed. 



They possess great extent of wing, and, consequently, very enduring powers of flight. But 

 one gtnus is comprised in this sub-family. 



DIOMEDEA, Linnaeus. 



Diomedea, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1758. Type D, exxilans, L. 



Ch — Bill rather longer than the head, compressei*, »ith the end much curved, and the point acute ; upper mandible deeply 

 grooved on the sides for its entire length ; nos-trils near the base of the upper ma'idible, separate, tubular, and prominent ; 

 wings VI ry long and narrow, the second quill the longest ; tail rather sliort ; legs strong, the tarsi shorter tlian the mi ddle toe ; 

 intcrdigitul meniorane full ; hind toe wanting ; claws short and obtuse. 



All the species are of large dimeniions ; they are most abundant in the Southern and Pacific 

 Oceans, and are particularly numerous in the neighborhood of the Cape of Good Hope and Cape 

 Horn. In the Pacific some species are found in quite high northern latitudes. Their food 

 consists principally of fish, of which they are most voracious eaters. 



' Prepared by Mr. George N. Lawrence, of New York. 



