ORNITHOLOGY 309 



should then see a case which must inevitably have happened 

 with very many animals. 



These southern seas are frequented by several species of 

 Petrels : the largest kind, Procellaria gigantea, or nelly (que- 

 brantahuesos, or break-bones, of the Spaniards), is a common 

 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 

 belonging 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 move- 

 ment takes flight. After flying b}' 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 

 living, and its choice of situation, make it at first doubtful 



