52 STORMY PETREL. 



can Stormy Petrel, hitherto supposed to be the true Pelagica, is an en- 

 tirely distinct species. For this discovery we are indebted to the labors 

 of Charles Bonaparte, from whose interesting paper on the subject, 

 published in the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia, we shall take the liberty of making an extract. The author 

 of the paper in question first describes and figures the true Pelagica of 

 the systems ; secondly, the Leachii, a species described by Temminck, 

 and restricted to the vicinity of the Island of St. Kilda, but which the 

 former found diffused over a great part of the Atlantic, east of the 

 Banks of Newfoundland ; and thirdly, the species of our coasts. He 

 also indicates a fourth, which inhabits the Pacific Ocean ; but whether 

 or not this last be in reality a species different from those named, has 

 not yet been determined.* 



"When I first procured this species," says Mr. Bonaparte, "I con- 

 sidered it a nondescript, and noted it as such ; the citation of Wilson's 

 pelagica, among the synonymes of the true pelagica, by t\\e most emi- 

 nent ornithologist of the age, M. Temminck, not permitting a doubt of 

 their identity. But having an opportunity of inspecting the very indi- 

 vidual from which Wilson took his figure, and drew up his description, 

 I was undeceived, by proving the unity of my specimens with that of 

 Wilson, and the discrepancy of these with that of Temminck. The 

 latter had certainly never seen an individual from America, otherwise 

 the difierence between the two species would not have eluded the accu- 

 rate eye of this naturalist. I propose for this species the name of Wil- 

 sonii, as a small testimony of respect to the memory of the author of 

 the American Ornithology, whose loss science and America will long 

 deplore. The yellow spot upon the membrane of the feet distinguishes 

 this species, at first sight, from the others ; and this character remains 

 permanent in the dried specimens." — (r. Ord. 



* Charles Bonaparte, Prince of Musignano, has recently established this species 

 under the name of Procellaria Oceanica; and assigns to it the following essential 

 characters : Tail slightly emarginate, the wings when closed extending more than 

 an inch beyond its tip; length of the tarsus nearly one inch and three-quarters 

 (eighteen French lines). 



We extract from his paper, in the Zoological .Journal, the following observations: 

 " In comparing this species (P. oceanica) to the three others {P. pelayica, P. Leachii, 

 and P. Wiisotiii), it will be seen that it is the largest and the most varied witli 

 white of the subgenus, and that it can be confounded only with P. Wilsonii, to 

 which it bears a strong resemblance in shape and color, both having the tarsi 

 greatly elongated, the tube of the nostrils equally recurved, the upper tail-coverts 

 entirely white, kc. But in addition to its much greater size, proportionally longer 

 bill and tarsi, and lighter color, this new species may at first sight be distinguished 

 from it by its wings extending so much beyond the tail, and by the want of the 

 yellow spot on the interdigital membrane, which is found in P. Wilsonii only." — 

 J. H. 



