PRELIMINARY CLASSIFIED NOTES 381 



Western Mediterranean on islets off the coasts of Sardinia, Corsica, Elba, Malta, 

 S. France, and the Hormigas off the east coast of Spain, as well as off the north- 

 west coast of Africa. On migration it visits the Norwegian coast, Iceland, Green- 

 land, and the eastern coasts of N. America ; while southward it ranges to the 

 Azores, Canaries, Madeira, and is said to have reached the Cape of Good Hope 

 and the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb. [F. c. R. J.] 



3. Migration. -- The storm-petrel is found at its breeding-stations (see 

 preceding paragraph) from May till early autumn. Like the other members of its 

 order it is pelagic except in the nesting season, and therefore comparatively seldom 

 recorded, although widely distributed in British waters. But it is often noted at 

 the light-stations in autumn, and may be driven inland by gales (cf. Saunders, 

 III. Man. British Birds, 2nd ed., 1899, p. 727). On the Yorkshire coast it is occa- 

 sionally seen in August or September, but not usually before October (cf. Nelson, 

 B. of Yorks., 1907, p. 749). It is a fairly frequent visitor to Kent, only occasionally 

 seen during rough weather in North Wales, and of rare and irregular occurrence 

 in Dumfriesshire (cf. Ticehurst, B. of Kent, 1909, p. 546 ; Forrest, Fauna of N. 

 Wales, 1907, p. 412 ; and Gladstone, B. of Dumfries., 1910, p. 466). Resident to 

 some extent in Ireland, but very rarely met with from January to March (cf . Ussher 

 and Warren, B. of Ireland, 1900, p. 383). " Unusual numbers occurred between 

 October 27th and November 4th, 1883, on the east side of England ; and in 1886, 

 according to Mr. Harvie-Brown, ' a regular stream of migration of petrels seems 

 to have taken place with the " great rush " of other species on the 5th and 6th 

 of October, as they were reported from several stations in Scotland ' " (cf. Saunders, 

 loc. cit.). [A. L. T.] 



4. Nest and Eggs. The nesting-site is sometimes under stones or heaps 

 of boulders, occasionally in crevices of loose walls or deserted buildings. It is 

 also frequently found in holes in the ground, sometimes excavated by the bird, 

 and at other times in old rabbit-holes. (PI. LXXV.) A musky smell pervades the 

 hole, and there is often, though not always, a pad of dry grasses underneath the 

 single egg, which is often elongated or elliptical in shape, white, with a dull chalky 

 surface and a more or less distinct wreath of reddish brown specks round the big 

 end. (PL V.) Average size of 53 eggs, I'l x -84 in. [27'9 x 21-4 mm.]. Both sexes 

 share in incubation (R. Godfrey), which, according to Mr. W. Evans, probably lasts 

 about 35 or 36 days. One chick hatched in an incubator early on the 36th day. 

 The breeding season is late : in some localities nesting begins in the last week of 

 May, but in the north of Scotland few birds lay before the end of June or the 



VOL. IV. 3C 



