28o 



MAMMALS AND BIRDS OF THE ARCTIC 



Fulmar Petrel. 



The group of petrels collectively known (from their typical 

 representative) as fulmars differ from the shearwaters by the shorter 

 beak and the vertical plates more or less distinctly developed on the sides of the 

 palate. The true fulmar (Fidmarits glacialis) is an Arctic species, ranging from 

 Baffin Bay to Franz Josef -land, and breeding as far south as St. Kilda. In winter 

 it migrates as far as Massachusetts on one side of the Atlantic, and the north coast 

 of Spain on the other. Thousands of these birds breed on steep cliffs, or rocky 

 islands, the colonies usually consisting of this species alone, although above or 

 below them are the zones occupied by razorbills, kittiwakes, and other birds. 

 Towards the end of May, in a slight depression on the bare ground, is laid the large, 

 white egg, which is incubated alternately by the male and female with such 

 assiduity that the birds will often refuse to move till pelted with pebbles, and even 

 then almost immediately return to their task, carefully putting the egg into proper 



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RED-THROATED DIVER. 



position with their beaks, and sitting as persistently as before. When occupied in 

 devouring a carcase, fulmars become so absorbed that they pay no heed to 

 approaching boats, and may be easily killed with the oars. In such feasts the 

 sharp claws enable the birds to obtain a firm hold on the slippery skin of whales 

 and seals, in which large holes are torn by means of the hooked beak. 



On the wing a fulmar looks much like a gull, to which it also approximates in 

 coloration. When perching, or rather crouching, for it cannot stand long on its legs, 

 it presents, however, a very different appearance, owing to its much stouter build. 

 The group of divers are exclusively inhabitants of the colder 

 portions of the Northern Hemisphere, and seldom leave the sea 

 except to breed. They even preen themselves afloat, this being due to the circum- 

 stances that the position and structure of their legs prevent them from standing 

 upright and even from walking in the generally accepted use of the term, their 

 movements on land being mere shuffles or slides. Divers frequently nest near 

 small fresh-water ponds, situated in quiet lonely spots, or high up among the 



Divers. 



