470 BIRDS 0¥ AUSTRALIA. 



taring of this bird frequently affords the passengers occupa- 

 tion for hours together, and often serves to break the mono- 

 tony of a lengthened voyage. It is said to breed on the island 

 of South Georgia, and Sir James Ross saw flocks of young 

 birds, in January 1841, in 71° 50' S., near South Victoria. 

 The following notes were made during my passages out and 

 home, and are worth transcribing, as they record some of the 

 latitudes and longitudes in which the bird was seen, and the 

 date of the observations : — 



"July 27, 1838, lat. 26° 54' S., long. 31° 25' W.— Saw 

 the first Cape Petrel, and from this date until we doubled the 

 Cape of Good Hope it paid daily visits to the ship, sometimes 

 in considerable numbers, at others only two or three appeared. 



" August 18.— Off the island of St. Paul. Cape Petrels 

 very plentiful. 



" September 8. — Off King George's Sound. Cape Petrels 

 still very numerous. 



" May 6, 1840, lat. 40° S., long. 154° W.— Two Cape 

 Petrels hovering round the ship, the first of the species seen 

 since leaving Sydney. 



" May 20.— Off Cape Horn, lat. 50° S., long. 90° W. Cape 

 Petrels very abundant. 



" This Martin among the Petrels is extremely tame, passing 

 immediately under the stern and settling down close to the 

 sides of the ship, if fat of any kind or other oily substance be 

 thrown overboard. Swims lightly, but rarely exercises its 

 natatorial powers except to procure food, in pursuit of which 

 it occasionally dives for a moment or two. Nothing can be 

 more graceful than its motions while on the wing, with the 

 neck shortened, and the legs entirely hidden among the 

 feathers of the under tail-coverts. Like the other Petrels, it 

 ejects, when irritated, an oily fluid from its mouth. Its 

 feeble note of " cac, cac, cac, cac" is frequently uttered, the 

 third, says Captain Hutton, being pronounced the quickest. 

 Its weight varies from fom'teen to eighteen ounces : there is 



