678 LAREDO. 



The Storm Petrel is included by M. Nilsson in his 

 Fauna of Scandinavia ; it breeds on the Faroe Islands 

 and at Iceland. It roves over the greater part of the 

 Atlantic, feeding on small fishes, Crustacea, and mollusca 

 to be found about the expensive masses of sea-weed which 

 float upon the surface of the ocean. This bird will keep 

 in company with a ship for many days, sometimes for 

 shelter, but also for the sake of the various matters thrown 

 overboard, as they are always ready to stoop and pick up 

 bits of biscuit or meat. 



These birds are supposed to be seen only before stormy 

 weather, and therefore are not welcome visitors to sailors, 

 who call them the Devil's birds, witches, and Mother 

 Carey's chickens the last name said to have been originally 

 bestowed upon them by Captain Carteret's sailors, probably 

 from some celebrated ideal hag of that name. Their habit 

 of paddling along the surface obtained for them the name of 

 Petrel, from the Apostle Peter, who walked on the water. 



Mr. Wm. Borrer, jun. sent me notice that he took from 

 rabbit-burrows in the Isle of Berhon, off Alderney, two 

 specimens of the Storm Petrel ; each had one white egg 

 in its nest. M. Vieillot includes this species in his Birds 

 of France. Several museums in Switzerland possess spe- 

 cimens obtained about the lakes of that country. M. 

 Savi includes it in his Birds of Italy ; it has been found 

 at Madeira; and Dr. A. Smith brought specimens from 

 South Africa. 



The bill is black ; the irides dark brown ; head, neck, 

 back, wings, and tail sooty black ; outer edges of tertials 

 white ; upper tail-coverts white ; chin, throat, breast, belly, 

 vent, and under tail-coverts sooty black ; sides of the vent 

 white ; legs, toes, and membranes black. The whole 

 length of the bird is not quite six inches ; the wing, from 

 the bend, four inches and five-eighths. The young bird, 



