THE PETREL FAMILY. 287 
they lay from two to four eggs, which are sat upon by the male and 
female alternately. They are courageous enough to defend their 
young brood against any kind of animal, and even against man. 
There are four European species: the Parasite Skua (Stercorarius 
parasiticus), which inhabits Greenland, Newfoundland, and Spitz- 
bergen, and visits tolerably often our Atlantic coasts; Buffon’s Skua 
(S. cepphus, Fig. 106), which is very plentiful in Sweden, Norway, 
Lapland, and North America, remarkable for some elongated fea- 
thers in the centre of tail ; the Pomerine Skua (8. pomarinus), which 
is very common in Newfoundland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands ; 
the Common Skua (3S. catarrhactes\, commonly called the Brown 
Stoéland. 
The Petrels (Proced/aria) are characterised by a gibbous beak, the 
extremity of which is hooked, and seems jointed on to the rest of the 
upper mandible. These birds never dive, rarely swim, except at 
night, when they sleep on the waters; but in their rapid flight they 
skim over the waves, and actually appear to walk upon them. To 
this habit they owe the name of Petrel, which simply means “little 
Peter,” in allusion to the miracle of St. Peter, who walked upon the 
restless waters of the Lake of Genesareth. 
The family of the Petrels contains several species of very different 
appearance. ‘They traverse immense distances in their powerful and 
rapid flight, although it is rarely elevated above a few feet over the 
surface. ‘They seldom approach the coast except to build their 
nests, for which purpose they select a little crevice in some steep 
rock, in which they deposit a large white egg. While sitting upon it, 
they keep up a low and continual noise, like that of a spinning-wheel. 
Petrels are of a very engaging aspect, and of great importance to 
the poor people who inhabit the islands in the frigid seas, who are 
glad to use them as food, although they principally value them for 
their warm down and the oil which can be extracted from their 
bodies. The quantity of oil which these birds contain is so large 
that it is used as an article of diet. In the Faroe Islands candles 
are made from this oleaginous matter. Often, indeed, the islanders 
make the bird itself serve as a candle to illuminate their gloomy 
vigils. This is performed by passing a wick through the Petrel’s 
body when just killed. 
These birds appear to glory in tempestuous weather. They glide 
over the roughest waves, and seem as if they were enjoying them- 
selves as they pass up and down the declivities of the mountains of 
foam. Sailors, who are confessedly simple and superstitious, take 
_ these birds for evil spirits, emissaries of the devil, harbingers of 
