30 OCEAN BIRDS. 



Great Winged Petrel, Atlantic Petrel, Solander's Petrel (Pterodroma fuliginosa). — 

 Mr. Salvin, in the notes he gave me, has marked all these three as P. fuliginosa. 



Capt. Hutton, writing of the Great Winged Petrel, says: — "This bird, when on the 

 wing, looks very like a huge Swift. It is not by any means common, and I have only 

 seen it east of the Cape of Good Hope. It is not found on Prince Edward Islands nor 

 Kerguelen's Land."— ' Ibis,' 1866, p. 286. Gould says it differs from the Atlantic Petrel 

 {Pterodroma atlantica) by having longer wings and a greyer face. In the Natural History 

 Museum it is called Puffinus fuliginosus, and the long wings are very prominent. Gould names 

 it Pterodroma macroptera. 



The Atlantic Petrel goes by the name of Cape Parson at sea — probably because of its 

 sombre hue. It is probably JEstralata carrihhcBa of the Natural History Museum. Gould 

 gives its dimensions as follows : — " Total length, fifteen inches and a quarter ; bill, one inch 

 and five-eighths ; wing, eleven inches and a half ; tail, five inches ; tarsi, two inches and 

 five-eighths ; middle toe and nail, two inches and seven-eighths." He calls it P. atlantica. 



Solander's Petrel is thus described by Gould : — " Head, back of neck, shoulders, 

 primaries, and tail, dark brown ; back, wing-coverts, and upper tail-coverts, slate-grey, each 

 feather margined with dark brown ; face and all the under surface, brown, washed with grey 

 on the abdomen ; bill, tarsi, toes and membranes, black. Total length, sixteen inches; bill, one 

 inch and three-quarters ; wing, twelve inches ; tail, five inches and a half ; tarsi, three-quarters 

 of an inch ; middle toe and nail, two inches and three-eighths." He calls it P. solandri. 



White-headed Petrel {Jistrelata hucoccphala). — Mstrelata is from jEstrus, a gadfly, as 

 applied to the restless flight of this family. They all have the tarsi more or less flesh-colom-ed. 

 This bird may be recognised at sea by the sort of white patch the head makes against its 

 black wings. It is a marvellous flyer by reason of its extraordinary long and arched wings. 

 It is thus described by Gould: — "Forehead, face, all the under surface, and tail, white; hinder 

 part of the head, back of the neck, and upper tail-coverts, grey ; back greyish brown ; wings 

 blackish brown ; round and before the eye a mark of black ; bill and irides black ; tarsi, and 

 half the toes and webs, flesh-white ; the tips of the toes and webs, black." There is a fine 

 specimen in the Natural History Museum, presented by Sir George Grey, where it is called 

 yEstrelata lessoni. It is a very powerful-looking bird, with a particularly sharp, curved beak, and 

 looks as if it had been fighting and received a pair of black eyes. In the voyage of H.M.S. 

 ' Challenger,' specimens were obtained in Betsy Cove, Kerguelen ; and their black eyes were 

 especially remarked on. 



Soft-Plumaged Petrel (J^strelata mollis). — Thus described by Gould : — " The sexes are 

 similar in colour, but the young differ irom the adult in having all the under surface dark grey, 



