650 LARID.E. 



Fauna of Scandinavia ; it breeds on the Faroe Islands 

 and at Iceland. It roves over the greater part of the 

 Atlantic, feeding on small fishes, Crustacea, and mollusca 

 to be found about the extensive masses of sea-weed which 

 float upon the surface of the ocean. This bird will keep 

 in company with a, ship for many days, sometimes for 

 shelter, but also for the sake of the various matters thrown 

 overboard, as they are always ready to stoop and pick up 

 bits of biscuit or meat. On examining the stomach of 

 a Stormy Petrel, Mr. Couch found about half an inch of 

 a common tallow-candle, of a size so disproportionate to 

 the bill and throat of the bird, that it seemed wonderful 

 how it could have been able to swallow it. 



These birds are supposed to be seen only before stormy 

 weather, and therefore not welcome visiters to sailors, who 

 call them the DeviPs birds, witches, and Mother Carey 's 

 chickens the last name said to have been originally be- 

 stowed upon them by Captain Carteret's sailors, probably 

 from some celebrated ideal hag of that name. Their habit 

 of paddling along the surface obtained for them the name of 

 Petrel, from the Apostle Peter, who walked on the water. 



Mr. Wm, Borrer, jun., sent me notice that he took from 

 rabbit-burrows in the Isle of Berhon, off Alderney, two 

 specimens of the Storm Petrel, each had one white egg in 

 its nest. M. Vieillot includes this species in his Birds of 

 France. Several museums in Switzerland possess specimens 

 obtained about the lakes of that country. M. Savi includes 

 it in his Birds of Italy ; it has been found at Madeira ; 

 and Dr. A. Smith brought specimens from South Africa. 



The bill is black ; the irides dark brown ; head, neck, 

 back, wings, and tail, sooty black ; outer edges of tertials 

 white ; upper tail-coverts white ; chin, throat, breast, belly, 

 vent, and under tail-coverts, sooty black ; sides of the vent 

 white ; legs, toes, and membranes black. The whole 



