J. Lucas, Notes of a Bird Catcher. [January 



impossible to pull in line as fast as a bird could fly, the hook 

 always dropped from the bird's beak. 



The Southern Fulmar (jFulmarus glacialoldcs) is not un- 

 common off Cape Horn, and is readily taken. It bites freely, and 

 rights well when captured, scratching, flapping, and biting in a 

 very vigorous manner. The quarrelsome disposition of this bird 

 at times becomes a drawback to his capture, for a Fulmar will 

 frequently devote his time and energies to driving away the Cape 

 Pigeons sooner than to take the bait himself. 



TJialassoica antarctlca is about as common, or uncommon, 

 as the preceding species, and is also comparatively easy to cap- 

 ture. As a rule both these species keep farther from ships than 

 the abundant and tame Cape Pigeon {Daptlon capcusls). Of 

 the species herein noted, TJialassoica antarctlca appears to be 

 the most exclusively southern in its range. Going southwards 

 Daptlou made its appearance Ma}- 16, Till mar us May 20, and 

 TJialassoica not until June 21. 



The well known Cape Pigeon {Daptlou capensis) is usually 

 met with in the Atlantic near latitude 35 S., or ''off the 

 River 'Plate,'" as it is termed in the vernacular. On the Paci- 

 fic coast it seems to range much farther north, for in Julv we 

 left them outside the harbor of Valparaiso, and in September they 

 were common in latitude 11° south. Captain Carey, of the ship 

 "Calhoun,' informed me that a few followed that vessel nearly to 

 Acapulco, 16 N. 



The Cape Pigeons are always hungry and it is an easy matter 

 to take any desired number of them. Ordinarily thev are set free 

 after a short detention, but occasionally they are killed, and after 

 parboiling made into a pot pie. Concerning the flavor thereof I 

 cannot now speak positively, as it has been many years since my 

 last taste of Cape Pigeon pie. This species has an extremely dis- 

 agreeable habit, shared by many of its relatives, of vomiting up 

 when captured a thick, oily, and ill-smelling liquid, so that it is 

 necessary to handle this bird with some caution. 



The Cape Pigeon can dive although it very rarely does so, 

 usually gathering its food from the surface of the water. Once 

 or twice I have noticed them dipping up the water as if drinking, 

 but this may not have been the case. 



Like the other Petrels, but to a still greater extent, the Cape 

 Pigeons delight in assembling around the contents of the cook's 

 swill pail. If there be nothing but dish-water, sufficient only to 



