126 NATURAL HISTORY AND 



pear the sport of the hurricane. When feeding 

 they use both wings and feet, and while the for- 

 mer are expanded the latter tip the water, so the 

 little bird appears both flying and walking. It 

 is on account of this kind of " walking on the 

 water n they derive their name of Petrels or little 

 Peters. 



It was a lovely June night when I crossed the 

 Minch, and many a sea-swallow was skimming in 

 two senses ocean's calm bosom. When they were 

 preening off the collected oil its effect made the 

 bird so light that, like a gossamer, it seemed to 

 touch the sea, but not to press it. 



In size, shape, rapidity of flight, as well as 

 endurance on wing, sweeping even over the broad 

 Atlantic, petrels bear a close resemblance to the 

 common chimney swallow. But if the joyous 

 sunny swallow, always associated with verdure 

 and beauty, has this ocean delegate equally sug- 

 gestive of clouds and tempest, it has also a repre- 

 sentative among the sombre birds of night. The 

 night-jar, familiarly known as the " night-hawk," 

 not only connects the owls with insect-feeders, 

 but also forms the link between swallows and 



