STORM PETREL. 527 



the extensive masses of sea-weed which float upon the surface 

 of the ocean. This bird will keep in company with a ship 

 for many days, sometimes for shelter, but also for the sake 

 of the various matters thrown overboard, as they are always 

 ready to stoop and pick bits of biscuit or meat. On ex- 

 amining the stomach of a Stormy Petrel, Mr. Couch found 

 about half an inch of a common tallow-candle, of a size so 

 disproportionate to the bill and throat of the bird, that it 

 seemed wonderful how it could have been able to swallow it. 



These birds are supposed to be seen only before stormy 

 weather, and therefore not welcome visiters to sailors, who 

 call them the Devil's birds, witches, and Mother Carey's 

 chickens — the last name said to have been originally be- 

 stowed upon them by Captain Carteret's sailors,* probably 

 from some celebrated ideal hag of that name. Their habit 

 of paddling along the surface obtained for them the name of 

 Petrel, from the Apostle Peter, who walked on the water. 



Mr. Wm. Borrer, jun., sent me notice that he took from 

 rabbit-burrows in the Isle of Berhon, off Alderney, two speci- 

 mens of the Storm Petrel, each had one white egg in its nest. 

 M. Vieillot includes this species in his Birds of B^ ranee. 

 Several museums in Switzerland possess specimens obtained 

 about the lakes of that country. M. Savi includes it in his 

 Birds of Italy ; it has been found at Madeira ; and Dr. A. 

 Smith brought specimens from South Africa. 



The bill is black ; the irides dark brown ; head, neck, 

 back, wings, and tail, sooty black ; outer edges of tertials 

 white ; upper tail-coverts white ; chin, throat, breast, belly, 

 vent, and under tail-coverts, sooty black ; sides of the vent 

 white ; legs, toes, and membranes black. The whole length 

 of the bird not quite six inches ; the wing, from the bend, 

 four inches and five-eighths. The young bird, till twelve- 

 months old, is not quite so dark in colour ; edges of wing- 



* See Jardine's Wilson, vol. ii. p. 283 ;. and Hawkesworth's Voyages, 

 vol. i. p. 203. 



