BLACK-AND-WHITE BIRDS. 39 



have watched them, and other Petrels, for what in 

 the aggregate must be weeks, but never saw one 

 arrest its flight and set to work upon any food. 

 What they take I can only imagine them to get 

 from the surface of the water in the course of their 

 ceaseless, and what looks like fruitless, wandering. 

 In this wave-skimming they never rise from the 

 surface, and the only alternative to their eternal 

 scouring of the waters seems to be to sit rocking 

 upon them like so many tiny ducka The bird is 

 about the size of a Sparrow. No other bird similarly 

 small will be found in our seas unless it be a Petrel 

 or a migrating land-bird. The latter, however, will 

 keep up well from the water. 



FORK-TAILED PETREL 7* inches; slaty-black above, 

 darker below ; white patch on upper surface next to 

 tail ; tail long, deeply forked. In the British Islands 

 it breeds only in St Kilda and the Outer Hebrides, bat 

 frequents the waters around all the coasts of Great 

 Britain in winter. 



NOTES TO 'BLACK-AND-WHITE BIRDS.' 



SWALLOW AND HOUSE-MARTIN. Both strongly marked 

 black-and-white birds ; but, the form of the Swallow being so 

 well known, it has been used as the type for the group, ' SWALLOW 

 AND SWALLOW-LIKE BIRDS.' 



COOT. If sought here because of generally dusky plumage and 

 white patch on forehead, vide ' BLACK BIRDS.' An inland fresh- 

 water swimming and diving bird. 



MOORHEN. 13 inches. If sought here Iwcanse of generally 

 blackish plumage, white side-feathers, and white patch beneath the 

 tail, refer to 'BLACK BIRDS.' An inland fresh-water swimming 

 and diving bird. 



BLACK GUILLEMOT. 14 inches. A cliff breeder, swimmer 

 and diver, entirely black, except solid white patch on wing : see 

 footnote to Common Guillemot under ' BLACK-AND-WHITE BIRDS.' 



