260 PROCELLARIN^. PROCELLARIA. 



rather wide; tongue slender, tapering; oesophagus wide, and 

 dilated within the thorax into an enormous sac ; stomach 

 small, reversed ; intestine of moderate length and width. 

 Feet of ordinary length, stout ; tibia bare below : tarsus re- 

 ticulated ; hind toe extremely small, with a conical claw; 

 anterior toes slender, with full webs; claws moderate, arched, 

 compressed, acute. Plumage full, close, blended, on the 

 upper parts somewhat compact ; wings very long, narrow, 

 pointed ; tail short or moderate, of from twelve to sixteen 

 feathers. 



Oceanic birds, of nomadic habits, feeding on animal sub- 

 stances, and nestling on maritime cliffs. One species only 

 occurs in Britain. 



315. PROCELLARIA GLACIALIS. NORTHERN FULMAR. 



Bill shorter than the head, stout, moderately compressed, 

 with the nasal plate concave in its median line, and flattened ; 

 tail slightly rounded, of fourteen feathers ; bill and feet green- 

 ish yellow ; head, neck, and lower parts white ; back and 

 wings pale greyish-blue; tail bluish-white; primary quills 

 and coverts blackish-brown. Young light brownish-grey, 

 with the feathers of the back and wings darker at the end. 



Male, 18, 32, 13, Hf, 2, 1 T ^, T V Female, 17, 30. 



The Fulmar inhabits in summer the arctic regions of both con- 

 tinents, and in winter advances southward. It is of rare occur- 

 rence on our coasts, although it breeds in vast numbers on the 

 island of St Kilda. The egg, which is deposited in a slight nest 

 on the rocks, is of large size, two inches and a half in length 

 two inches in breadth, and of a pure white colour. The young 

 remain until fledged, and are fed with matter, chiefly of an 

 oily nature, disgorged by their parents. It is remarkable that, 

 whatever be the nature of the food of the fulmar and other 

 birds of this series, a quantity of generally pure oleaginous 

 matter is usually found in the gullet. It appears to me that 

 this oil can hardly be obtained entirely as food, but is the 

 product of some secretion or conversion. Voyagers, however, 

 state that this species greedily devours the blubber of dead 

 whales, and the common opinion is that all the Fulmars and 

 Petrels obtain oily and fatty matters floating on the sea. 

 When seized they eject by the mouth, and, it is said, squirt 

 through the nostrils, this oil, which the people of St Kildd 

 thus collect for economical purposes. It is of a clear amber 



