PROCELLARIID.B. 



725 



THE FORK-TAILED PETREL. 



OCEAN(')DROi\IA LEUCORRH(')A (VieiUot). 



This species — sometimes called Leach's Petrel — was first made 

 known as a British bird by Bullock, who obtained it at St. Kilda in 

 iSiS. Subsequently it has often been noticed within our waters, 

 and it is now met with almost annually on the east coast of Eng- 

 land, as well as inland ; this is especially the case after northerly and 

 westerly autumnal gales, from which Mr. Cordeaux infers that birds 

 are driven right across the country. Off Cornwall it is quite as 

 common in some winters as the Storm-Petrel, and it may be said to 

 have occurred in almost every maritime county of Great Britain. 

 In 1847 it was found breeding in the St. Kilda group, and later 

 investigations have shown that further colonies exist on North Ronay 

 and several islands in the Outer Hebrides ; while ere long the species 

 will probably be found nesting on some of the Inner islands. In 

 Ireland it is frequent, and in 1886 its egg was obtained by Mr. R. J. 

 Ussher from one of the Blasquets, off co. Kerry, the most western 

 land (with the exception of Iceland)— belonging to Europe— the 

 birds having subsequently been taken as well as their eggs. 



The Fork-tailed Petrel has wandered to the coast of Norway ; 

 but, strange to say, it has only twice been met with on Heligoland, 

 though storm-driven individuals have been taken on the coasts of 

 Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Portugal, and even as far 

 up the Mediterranean as Sicily ; while Mr. E. Vernon 1 Lircourt 



