observed at the Salvage Inlands. 51 



were never to be found with their young during the day. 

 The note of these birds we never ascertained^ and when 

 seen on the wing they were always perfectly silent so far as 

 we noticed. 



Tlie egg measures 1*9 by 1*35 inch. 



—19. Pelagodroma marina. 



The "White-breasted or Frigate Petrel, as Latham called 

 it, was certainly one of the most interesting species met with 

 during our stay on Great Salvage. It is a lovely bird, with 

 all the underparts as well as the forehead and wide eyebrow 

 stripes snow-white, while the upper parts are dark sooty 

 brown. The legs are very long, and together with the feet 

 deep black, only the middles of the webs being yellow. 

 This species was previously known to inhabit the Australian 

 seas, and its eggs were procured many years ago by Gould's 

 collector, Gilbert, on some small islands off the south-west 

 coast of Australia, in the month of December. One or two 

 specimens are generally obtained every year off the Canary 

 Islands, and one was picked up dead on Walney Island, 

 after a severe gale, in November 1890; but this was of 

 course merely an accidental straggler. 



We first observed and recognized with pleasure these 

 beautiful Petrels as we neared the Salvages, Avhen numbers 

 were seen flitting along close to the surface of the sea, with 

 their long legs dangling beneath them and just touching the 

 water. Now they would be lost sight of in the hollows 

 between the liuge Atlantic rollers, now reappear, closely 

 following the undulating waters with their graceful easy 

 flight. On the afternoon of our arrival on Great Salvage we 

 found an egg of this bird in what we at first mistook for a 

 rabbit-burrow, but it was unfortunately broken by one of the 

 men. This, however, opened our eyes, and we subsequently 

 found that large colonics oi: the White-breasted Petrel wxn-c 

 breeding on the flat top of the island, in burrows dug out iu 

 the sandy ground, and partly concealed by the close-growing 

 ice-plant. It was very unpleasant walking over these 

 breeding-grounds, Avhich occupied considerable areas, for 



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