LARHXE. 



at Weston-super-Mare, and specimens have been 

 taken in all the neighbouring counties, even in those 

 so far inland as Wilts and Gloucester. 



The food of this little Petrel consists chiefly of 

 Mollusca, small fish and Crustacea, which it picks up 

 amongst floating sea-weed, and of any greasy sub- 

 stances which are found around fishing-boats or 

 ships out at sea. 



The Forktailed Petrel breeds in sandy burrows 

 or in holes in rocks. 



There is a peculiarity in the bill of this and of all 

 the Petrels : extending part of the way along the 

 base of the upper part of the upper mandible is a 

 tube for the nostrils ; from this tube the bird is said 

 when wounded or angry to emit a nasty-smelling 

 oily fluid. The bill is black ; the irides dark brown ; 

 nearly the whole of the plumage is sooty brown, ap- 

 proaching to black in places, but growing paler on 

 the wing-coverts and tertials some of the feathers 

 of these parts are only slightly edged with white ; 

 the upper tail-coverts are white ; the primary quills 

 are black ; the tail is considerably forked and not 

 quite so dark as the primary quills ; the under tail- 

 coverts are white on the sides, dark in the centre. 

 This little bird is about the size of a Swift. 



The egg is white, of a roundish oval form, large 

 for the size of the bird.* 



* Yarrell, vol. iii., p. 673. 



