290 CHONOS ARCHIPELAGO. [chap, xiil 



bird, both in the inland channels and on the open sea. In its 

 habits and manner of flight, there is a very close resemblance 

 with the albatross; and as with the albatross, a person may- 

 watch it for hours together without seeing on what it feeds. 

 The " break-bones " is, however, a rapacious bird, for it was 

 observed by some of the officers at Port St. Antonio chasing a 

 diver, which tried to escape by diving and flying, but was con- 

 tinually struck down, and at last killed by a blow on its head. 

 At Port St. Julian these great petrels were seen killing and 

 devouring young gulls. A second species (Puffinus cinereus), 

 which is common to Europe, Cape Horn, and the coast of Peru, 

 is of a much smaller size than the P. gigantea, but, like it, of a 

 dirty black colour. It generally frequents the inland sounds 

 in very large flocks: I do not think I ever saw so many birds of 

 any other sort together, as I once saw of these behind the island 

 of Chiloe. Hundreds of thousands flew in an irregular line for 

 several hours in one direction. When part of the flock settled 

 on the water the surface was blackened, and a noise proceeded 

 from them as of human beings talking in the distance. 



There are several other species of petrels, but I will only 

 mention one other kind, the Pelacanoides Berardi, which offers 

 an example of those extraordinary cases, of a bird evidently be- 

 longing to one well-marked family, yet both in its habits and 

 structure allied to a very distinct tribe. This bird never leaves 

 the quiet inland sounds. When disturbed it dives to a distance, 

 and on coming to the surface, with the same movement take* 

 flight. After flying by the rapid movement of its short wings 

 for a space in a straight line, it drops, as if struck dead, and 

 dives again. The form of its beak and nostrils, length of foot, 

 and even the colouring of its plumage, show that this bird is a 

 petrel : on the other hand, its short wings and consequent little 

 power of flight, its form of body and shape of tail, the absence of 

 a hind toe to its foot, its habit of diving, and its choice of situa- 

 tion, make it at first doubtful whether its relationship is not 

 equally close with the auks. It would undoubtedly be mistaken 

 for an auk, when seen from a distance, either on the wing> oj 

 when diving and quietly swimming about the retired cnannelsof 

 Tierra del Fuego. 



