AND NEIGHBOURHOOD. 257 



at least of the isles oiF the west coast of Scotland, 

 that it lays one egg only, — white, freckled and zoned 

 with rust-colonred spots. In most of its habits it 

 appears to resemble the other members of the group 

 of birds to which it belongs, spending its existence 

 principally either in roaming over the surface of the 

 ocean in search of food, or concealed in its burrows. 

 Audubon, who was well acquainted with the Forked- 

 tailed Petrel, states that it is comparatively shy, and 

 that he never saw it fly close around a vessel as the 

 Storm-Petrel so frequently does ; the same author 

 tells us that notes of this bird resemble the syllables 

 'pewr-wit, pewr-wit. On what I may call the Old 

 World side of the Atlantic, this bird has been 

 recorded from as far south as the island of Madeira ; 

 it has an extended range on both sides of the 

 American continent, and has been met with in 

 Japan. I think that I may safely assert that away 

 from the sea, and out of its natural haunts, it is of 

 more frequent occurrence in England than the Storm- 

 Petrel ; I write this only from my own experience 

 and recollection. 



216. STORM-PETREL. 



Procellaria pelagica. 



Although, as I stated in the preceding article, 

 various rumours of " Stormy Petrels " have reached 

 me, I can only personally vouch for one occurrence 

 of this species in our county. This bird was originally 

 reported to me, in 1876, by the Rev. H. N. Rokeby, 

 of Arthingworth, who informed me that it had been 

 picked up near that place by a person who saw it 



VOL. II. • s 



