258 STORM PETREL. 



a good cabinet specimen/' We add the description 

 of the specimen from Madeira, originally figured in 

 " Illustrations of Ornithology." We may remark, 

 that this bird is of a larger size than the greater 

 number of the species, and exhibits a cuneated form 

 of the tail, in which member, even among the British 

 birds, we shall see a considerable variation. 



" The length is about ten inches ; the plumage is 

 entirely of a deep sooty black, paler upon the throat, 

 and on the breast and belly slightly tinged with 

 brown ; the form of the tail is the greatest peculi- 

 arity, this contains twelve feathers, and is very 

 much cuneated, the centre plumes being about two 

 inches longer than the exterior, thus giving it a form 

 at variance with the smaller and true petrels, where 

 we find it either square or forked/' 



THE STORM PETREL. 



Thalassidroma pelagica. 

 PLATE XXX. 



Procellaria pelagica, Linn. Petrel tempete, Temm. Storm 

 or Stormy Petrel, or Finch, of British authors. 



To our own observation, this is a much more un- 

 common bird than that which we shall notice 

 next; we have scarcely ever met with it living, 

 at the same time, the breeding places that are re- 



