204 STORMY PETREL. 



parts of New Holland, that hundreds of them may, at any 

 time, be killed by a person armed only with a club. They 

 form no nest, further than making a hollow place upon 

 the ground, in which they lay only one or two eggs. 



The feathers of this, as well as of all the other Pen- 

 guins, are thick, short, and closely set. Those of the 

 head, neck, back, and sides, are black ; whilst those of 

 all the under parts of the body are white. Over each 

 eye there is a stripe of pale yellow feathers, which 

 lengthens behind into a crest about four inches in length. 

 The feathers of the head, in front of this, are longer than 

 the rest, and stand upward. The female has no crest. 

 The bill is of a reddish-brown colour, and the legs are 

 orange-coloured. The general length of this bird is 

 about two feet. 



44. PETREL TRIBE. 



The Petrels live chiefly in the open ocean, and seldom 

 approach the land, except during the breeding-season. 

 They feed on fish, and on such animal substances as 

 they find floating on the sea. 



Stormy Petrel. In its general size and form, the 

 Stormy Petrel has a distant resemblance to the swallow. 

 Sailors hold it in great abhorrence, from a belief that its 

 appearance is always portentous of an approaching storm. 

 If, however, this be the case, the bird ought rather to be 

 considered as the seaman's friend, in thus giving him no- 

 tice of danger; since its appearance is not the cause, but 

 the effect, of that state of the atmosphere which is pro- 

 ductive of tempestuous weather. Small flocks of these 

 birds seek for shelter from the fury of the wind, by flying 

 under the wake of the ships ; and the velocity with 



