628 LARID^l. 



edge no attempt to fly was made, and it fell heavily to the 

 ground. It rarely stirred at all during the day, but kept 

 itself as much concealed as possible, and, if it could not 

 hide its body, would endeavour to conceal its head. The 

 fishermen sometimes keep them for weeks about their 

 houses, and in some instances they have become tame ; 

 they never attempt to fly. It does not appear that the 

 Manks Shearwater is ever seen, nor could I ascertain 

 that a Greater Shearwater was ever shot, but always taken 

 with a hook. They are commonly known by the name of 

 Hag downs" 



Mr. Thompson further adds : "So little is known re- 

 specting this species as an inhabitant of our seas, that I am 

 induced to add the following: Mr. Robert Ball, when 

 dredging off Bundoran, on the west coast of Ireland, 

 in company with Mr. E. Forbes and Mr. Hyndman, on 

 the 16th of July, 1840, saw three Petrels on wing 

 near to him, which he believed to be of this species." 



Faber^s account of this species in his Prodromus of the 

 Ornithology of Iceland, is very short ; in substance, it is as 

 follows : " It is very scarce, and is only seen on the most 

 southern parts of the island ; it does not breed here. 

 Only a single individual has fallen into my hands. The 

 fishermen talk of a Puffinus, which they see sometimes, 

 and is twice as big as Puffinus articus, (Faber's name for 

 our P. anglorum,) it may well be this one." There is no 

 description, but I infer that Faber's bird was white under- 

 neath, and that he called it P. major because it only dif- 

 fered from our P. anglorum, which is common in Iceland in 

 being larger. The measurement of P. cinereus of Gmelin, 

 Latham, and others are stated at twenty inches and a 

 quarter, for the whole length of that species, but of the 

 several examples of our Greater Shearwater that I have 



