X "'i'»^ KX | Nichols, Notes on Offshore Birds. 509 



to X»\v \ ork, and a few of these gulls as well as several Gannets 

 and one or two Dovekies were observed. 



The following seem to be the most noteworthy generalizations 

 which ran be made from these fragmentary observations: 



The Kittiwake Gull (Rissa tridactyla tridactyla) winters at sea 

 across the mid-Atlantic, much farther south than on our coast, 

 where it is found in numbers only as far south as New York, and 

 probably a few to Hatteras. 



The Gannet (Sula bassana) winters as far north as the Hatteras 

 grounds and northward in diminishing numbers; very rarely to 

 New York, stragglers sometimes off Cape Cod. 



The Audubon's Shearwater (Puffinus Iherminieri) occurs com- 

 monly off our southern states in winter, not far south of its coast- 

 wise summer range. 



The Black-capped Petrel (JEstrelata hasitata), is not extinct 

 and occurs off our southern states, observed in winter northward 

 and eastward of the Audubon's Shearwater. 



Alcidse and Red-throated Loon (Gavia stcllata) in severe winters 

 occur south off the coast in numbers to the Hatteras grounds; 

 in open winters they are less plentiful southward. 



The Problem of the Sailing Bird. 



There has been some discussion of late as to what forces are 

 utilized by the sailing bird and how they are utilized, perhaps 

 sufficient to serve as excuse for offering the following explanation 

 here, even though, being in the writer's opinion the true one, and 

 quite simple, it very probably has often been stated before. 



Let us take a simple, striking case of the phenomenon, and 

 one not complicated by local conditions as cliffs or mountain ranges 

 and their accompanying vertical air currents. An Albatross has 

 been resting on the water during a calm spell (as is the custom 

 with these birds); when a fresh wind springs up he launches him- 

 self in the air with much flapping and kicking of the water (again 

 customary) and when well started, sails across the wind on stiff, 

 motionless wings (again customary). 1 His wings are tremendously 

 long and narrow ; his big feet extended backward reach just beyond 



i See Fisher, Bull. U. S. Com. Fish, for 1903, p. 23. The apparent difficulty of 

 the Albatrosses here discussed to cross the wind may rather be explained as diffi- 

 culty of turning short into or loss of relative momentum befoiv it. 



