PRION DESOLATUS. 769 
as well as their inner edges, white; lateral feather on each side, dull 
white, with a freckling of grey towards its shaft; forehead, space 
in front of the eyes, eyebrows, and sides of head, white; bill very 
narrow. Length, 10’ 5”; wing, 84”; tail, 3’ 10”. 
Fig. Smith, Il. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pl. 53. 
748. Prion vitratus (Gm.). Broad-billed Blue Petrel. 
Prion banksii, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 362. 
This bird occasionally frequents the bays of our coasts, and is 
constantly to be seen in the Cape seas. Mr. Ayres states that it 
has been thrown ashore at Natal, dead, in vast numbers. ‘The same 
thing has occurred here several times. Many were thus cast away 
at Green Point on the 21st of April, 1866 ; and a large flock perished 
in a vineyard at Constantia, belonging to Mr. Cloete. 
General colour above, pearl-grey ; back of neck and interscapulars 
tinged with brown; lesser wing-coverts, and the ends of the scapulars, 
ruddy brown; tail grey, tinged with yellow-grey ; the ends of the 
feathers dirty brown; through the eye a stripe of purple, tinged 
with ruddy brown; sides of the chest shining grey; below white ; 
eye brown; bill livid brown towards the tip of the upper mandible, 
clouded greenish-yellow ; feet ruddy brown. Length, 10’; wing, 
eo tall 9% 
Fig. Smith, Ill. Zool. 8. Afr. Aves, pl. 55. 
749, Prion DESOLATUS (Gim.). Narrow-billed Blue Petrel. 
Procellaria turtur, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 361. 
The shape of the bill, the sides of which are nearly straight, will 
distinguish this from the preceding bird, which has the bill bowed 
sideways from the base to the tip. 
Sir Andrew Smith procured it in the Cape seas, and Mr. Andersson 
gives the following note: ‘This species is occasionally seen in the 
pays and inlets of the south-west coast of Africa, especially after a 
storm ; but the open sea is its favourite resort. It sometimes settles 
on the water, but rarely remains longer than is necessary to enable 
it to fish up its prey. It will follow in a vessel’s course for hours 
together, but evidently not with a view of picking up the refuse 
that may chance to be thrown overboard, as is the case with some 
other species, nor does it approach very close. It is a very powerful 
3D 
