A DIVING PETREL 67 



We rowed to within half a mile of the shore of 

 Tristan da Cunha, near the settlement. The sea 

 was perfectly smooth, and had it been earlier in 

 the afternoon we should have landed. The settle- 

 ment is composed of about sixteen stone houses, 

 and is situated at the foot of the peaks where the 

 grass-covered ground slopes gradually down to 

 the sea. Great numbers of cattle were feeding 

 on this grass land. The islanders sell them to 

 passing ships, and we ordered two bullocks, but 

 owing to the stormy weather which set in that 

 night we were unable to hold any further com- 

 munication with the shore. 



During the evening I made a small collection 

 of sea-birds. Two fine examples of the yellow- 

 nosed albatros were shot, also some terns.* The 

 latter, which are much like our common tern, 

 were very numerous, and, judging by the number 

 of young birds which were only just able to fly, 

 there must be a considerable nesting colony. 



The most interesting birds which we saw, 

 however, were some diving petrels, which 

 proved to belong to a species not hitherto 

 recorded from Tristan da Cunha. Superficially 

 these petrels resemble the diving petrel of the 

 Straits of Magellan, but they are somewhat 

 smaller and have a much greater power of 

 flight. On several occasions I saw them rise off 

 the water and fly away out of sight, whereas 



* Sterna vittata. 



