WHALE-BIRD AND DOLPHIN. 231 



The species differ in their modes of flight : the Giant 

 Petrel (Procettaria gigantea) flies in a wild and sweeping 

 manner, poising himself, and often remaining motionless 

 in the air like an Eagle. The flight of the Cape Pigeon 

 (P. Capensis) is erratic, and neither powerful nor rapid. 

 There is one species as large as a Kestrel, and entirely 

 of a sooty black ; it has long powerful wings, and a 

 rapid steady flight, like the wide sweep of some gigantic 

 Swift ; these hunt in couples, and are very wild and shy. 

 Another, called the "Whale-bird" by the seamen, is 

 solitary in his habits, and his sweep across the ocean is 

 more extensive than that of other species. This, as well 

 as P. turtur and Forsteri, describe vast circles in the air, 

 and dart suddenly on their prey. Another wild and 

 sprightly species is not much larger than a Lark ; erratic, 

 wavering, and rapid in its flight, it always keeps aloof from 

 the ship, and, even more than any of the others, appears 

 to delight in stormy weather. 



During our passage the sailors were fortunate enough 

 to catch some Dolphins, and, although the beauties of 

 this fish when dying have been so often expatiated on, 

 perhaps the following note, made at the time, may not 

 be uninteresting, for I fancy that in no two Dolphins do 

 the dying colour-changes follow precisely in the same 

 order. The one I observed, from a grass-green, covered 

 with round ultramarine spots, became silvery, and the 

 green faded, while the deep blue of the dorsal fin, and 

 golden green of the back, remained. From this, it 

 changed to a burnished brass colour, the blue spots 

 vanished, and were succeeded by an azure tinge on a 



