STORMY PETREL. 165 



and numerous appearance has frequently thrown a 

 momentary damp over the mind of the hardiest seaman. 



It is the business of the naturalist, and the glory of 

 philosophy, to examine into the reality of these things, 

 to dissipate the clouds of error and superstition where- 

 ever they begin to darken and bewilder the human 

 understanding, and to illustrate nature with the radi- 

 ance of truth. With these objects in view, we shall 

 now proceed, as far as the few facts we possess will 

 permit, in our examination into the history of this 

 celebrated species. 



The stormy netrel, the least of the whole twenty- 

 four species of its tribe enumerated by ornithologists, 

 and the smallest of all palmated fowls, is found over 

 the whole Atlantic Ocean, from Europe to North 

 America, at all distances from land, and in all weathers ; 

 but is particularly numerous near vessels immediately 

 preceding and during a gale, when flocks of them crowd 

 in her wake, seeming then more than usually active in 

 picking up various matters from the surface of the 

 water. This presentiment of a change of weather is 

 not peculiar to the petrel alone, but is noted in many 

 others, and common to all, even to those long domes- 

 ticated. The woodpeckers, the snow-birds, the swal- 

 lows, are all observed to be uncommonly busy before a 

 storm, searching for food with great eagerness, as if 

 anxious to provide for the privations of the coming 

 tempest The common ducks and the geese are infal- 

 libly noisy and tumultuous before falling weather ; and 

 though, with these, the attention of man renders any 

 extra exertions for food at such times unnecessary, yet 

 they wash, oil, dress, and arrange their plumage, with 

 uncommon diligence and activity. The intelligent and 

 observing farmer remarks this bustle, and wisely pre- 

 pares for the issue ; but he is not so ridiculously absurd 

 as to suppose, that the storm which follows is produced 

 by the agency of these feeble creatures, who are them- 

 selves equal sufferers by its effects with man. He looks 

 on them rather as useful monitors, who, from the deli- 

 cacy of their organs, and a perception superior to hig 



