FORKED-TAILED PETREL. 39 



enumeration unnecessary ; but as yet it has not been found 

 breeding there. In Scotland the late Sir W. E. Milner 

 found it breeding, in 1847, on the Stack of Dun, at St. . 

 Kilda (Zool. p. 2059); and in June, 1883, Mr. John 

 Swinburne found it abundant on the island of North Rona. 

 On the latter the principal colony visited was among some 

 old ruins, where the birds seemed to nest in small com- 

 panies, one large main burrow in the walls of the ruins 

 serving for several pairs of birds, which made smaller 

 burrows branching off at right angles to the main one 

 (Pr. R. Phys. Soc. Edinb. viii. p. 64). Capt. H. J. Elwes 

 says (Ibis, 1865, p. 28) that he has no doubt that it breeds 

 on Mingalay, where the natives distinguish it by the name 

 of ' Gobhlan-goidhe,' or forked-tail. Mr. R. Gray says that 

 there is a more extensive colony in the island of Rum ; but 

 Mr. Swinburne states that he and other ornithologists have 

 searched that island unsuccessfully for it. In winter it is 

 frequently met with along the west coast and islands, but 

 on the eastern side it is of rare occurrence. 



The Forked-tailed Petrel has occurred on the coast of 

 Norway ; but, strange to say, it has only twice been ob- 

 tained on Heligoland, although storm-driven individuals 

 have been taken on the coasts of the German Ocean, Hol- 

 land, Belgium, France, Portugal, and even in the Mediter- 

 ranean. Mr. Vernon Harcourt states that it straggles to 

 Madeira. On the American side of the Atlantic, it has 

 been known to visit Greenland, and it is well known from 

 Labrador to the Bay of Fundy, straggling as far south as 

 Washington. Audubon, who enjoyed many opportunities 

 of observing these Petrels during his ornithological re- 

 searches in various parts of North America, as well as on 

 his various voyages across the Atlantic, says, " The species 

 of this genus with which I am acquainted, all ramble over 

 the seas, both by night and by day, until the breeding- 

 season commences ; then they remain in their burrows, 

 under rocks, or in their fissures, until towards sunset, when 

 they start off in search of food, returning to their mates, 

 or young, in the morning, and feeding them then. When 



