438 BRITISH BIRDS. 



PROCELLARIA PELAGICA. 

 STORMY PETREL*. 



(PLATE 56.) 



Procellaria procellaria, JBriss. Orn. vi. p. 143 (1760). 



Procellaria pelagica, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 212 (1766) ; et auctorum plurimorum 



(Temminck), (Naumann), Dresser, Saunders, &c. 

 Thalassidroma pelagica (Zmn.), Vigors, Zool. Journ. ii. p. 405 (1826). 

 Hydrobates faeroeensis, Srekm, Vog. Deutsclil. p. 803 (1831). 

 Thalassidroma melitensis, Schembri, Orn. del Gruppo di Malta, p. 118 (1843). 

 Procellaria lugubris,, Natterer,} ^ Bmap Qomp ^ 1QQ) m (1857) _ 

 Procellaria melanonyx, Nilss. \ 

 Procellaria melitensis (Schembri}, C. A. Wright, Ibis, 1864, p. 154. 



The Stormy Petrel has numerous breeding-places in the British Islands, 

 but in consequence of its preference of a wide expanse of ocean, shared 

 in common with all birds of this family, it is not known to nest anywhere 

 on the east coast of England or Scotland. It breeds in the Channel and 

 Scilly Islands, probably on Lundy, and certainly on various islets off the 

 Welsh coast. It is generally distributed during the breeding-season on 

 the islands off the west coast of Scotland, including Soay, one of the 

 St.-Kilda group, and the Orkneys and Shetlands. It has many breeding- 

 places in the islands off the Irish coast, especially the Blasquets. Except 

 during the breeding-season, this little bird seldom visits the coast, but after 

 gales it is often picked up inland. In autumn and winter it wanders 

 far, and has been taken in various places all round the British coasts, 

 especially on those of the eastern and southern counties, where large 

 flocks are often seen. 



The Stormy Petrel is probably an Atlantic species, although it has not 

 yet been found breeding on the American coasts. In Norway it has been 

 seen as far north as the Loffoden Islands, but it is not known that it breeds 

 anywhere on the Scandinavian coast, and it is only a rare straggler into 

 the Baltic. It breeds on the Faroes, but is a rare bird in Iceland, although 

 it is occasionally seen on the American coasts, from lat. 64 in Greenland 

 to the Bay of Fundy. It has not been recorded from the Azores ; but it 



* The words Stormy Petrel are doubtless a very ungrammatical combination, as many 

 other familiar English words are ; but that is no reason why they should be altered, although 

 they may have offended the ears of Yarrell and his academical friends. The expression 

 " Stormy Petrel '' is " as familiar in our mouths as household words." Ancient landmarks 

 cannot thus be lightly removed : a conservative nation like the English will never permit 

 their language to be modernized by such classical pedantry. 



