FAMILY L ONGIPENNATA. LONG-WINGED. 



93 



PIIALERIS StaricL The birds of this genus are about the size of a 

 quail ; they are found, some in North America, some in Japan, and some in 

 Northern Asia. They were formerly included in the genus Alca by Pallas, 

 but separated from it by Temminck on account of the quadrangular form 

 and less curving of the beak, which is not partially feathered as in the Alcce ; 

 to these, however, as well as to the Urics and Mormones, they are very 

 closely allied. 



SPHENISCUS. This genus is distinguished from Aptenodytes, from which 

 it was separated by Brisson, by the shortness of its beak, by its upper man- 

 dible not being grooved longitudinally but obliquely, by its small nasal pit, 

 and by the base of its lower mandible being feathered instead of covered 

 only by a naked skin. There are four species. 



URIA Guillemot. The birds forming this genus have a general resem- 

 blance to the Divers, Colymbi of Linnaeus ; from which, however, they were 

 separated by Brisson, on account of the absence of the hind toe, and the 

 shortness of their wings. Their flight is but for a short distance, and only 

 just above the surface of the water. They dive extremely well, using their 

 wings as a pair of oavs, and continue under water for a considerable time, 

 where they are engaged in pursuit of fish, which they follow with great 

 speed. They live in high northern latitudes, in large flocks, migrating south- 

 wards during winter, but rarely below Great Britain ; and keep constantly 

 by the sea-side or upon the ice, only coming to land at breeding-time, when 

 they deposit their usually single egg in some hole or crevice of a rock with- 

 out the preparation of a nest. Five species. 



Family LONG-WINGED ; Lonffipenmta. 



These Birds possess the capability of protracted flight ; they are met 

 almost on every part of the high seas : their wings are of great length ; 

 they want the hinder toe or thumb. 



ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES. 



Genera. 



Procellaria 

 Haladroma 

 Pachyptila 

 Dromedea 

 Larus - - 

 Rhyncops - 



PLATE 17. 



Species. 



Hartie - - 



Berardi - - 



Vittata - - 



Exulans - - 



Marinus - - 



Nigra - - 



Common Name. 



Hartie's Petrel. 

 Berard's Haladrome. 

 Broad-billed Pion. 

 Wandering Albatross. 

 Black-backed Gall. 

 Black Skimmer. 



Other Genera of this Family : Lestris, Sterna. 



CHARACTERS OF THE GENERA. 



1. PROCELLARIA (Lat. procella, a storm). Beak of moderate size, strong, 

 tough, sharp, depressed, and dilated at the base, but its point compressed 

 and arched, and both mandibles grooved and suddenly curved towards the 

 tip ; nostrils prominent on the surface of the mandible, united and concealed 

 in a tube opening by one or two apertures ; wings long ; legs of moderate 

 length or long, slender, and the tarsi compressed ; three toes in front, long, 

 and completely webbed ; instead of a hind toe a very sharp claw. 



2. HALLADROM A (Gr. d\e, the sea, and Ipifua, I run). Beak strong, com- 

 pressed, straight, the tip hooked; a groove on each side of the upper 

 mandible; nostrils double; throat dilatable; wings long, fit for flying; 

 legs short, turned outwards, three-toed, webbed ; claws curved and sharp. 



3. PACHYPTILA (Gr. Trayv, thick, and TTTI\OV, a feather). General cha- 

 racters the same as those of Procellaria, with which they were included by 

 Gmelin, till separated from them by Lacepede and Illiger on account of 

 the cartilaginous plaits on the inner edge of their mandibles similar to those 

 of the Duck tribe, and their imperfectly-webbed feet. 



4. DIOMEDEA. Beak large, strong, and bending in the middle ; the upper 

 mandible hooked down ; nostrils opening forward, short, and covered with 

 a large convex guard ; no thumb to the foot ; tongue very small. 



5. LARUS. Beak longish, compressed, strong, hard, and cutting, tip 

 curved; nostrils in the midst of the beak, lateral, narrow, longitudinal, 



with one exception, the L. Marinus, in which they are roundish, and open 

 from one to the other ; legs slender, and naked above the knee ; tarsi long ; 

 the three front toes completely webbed ; hind toe small, high up on the 

 tarsus, and free ; wings long ; tail-quills equal. 



6. RHYXCOPS (Gr. puy^oc, a beak, and jcorrrw, to cut). Beak long, 

 straight, and much compressed; upper mandible shorter than the lower, 

 slightly truncated, its sides closely approximated, so as to leave only a groove 

 in which the lower is received ; lower mandible much truncated, its sides 

 or branches only distinct close to the base, but otherwise closely approxi- 

 mated and forming a single plate, which is sharp beneath like a knife-blade ; 

 nostrils longitudinal, narrow, concave, patulous, and near the base in the 

 edges of the mandible ; wings very long, the second quill-feather much the 

 longest ; tarsi naked and reticulated, and longer than the middle toe, which 

 is connected to the others by webs ; hind toe articulated to the tarsus, and 

 its tip just touching the ground. 



7. LESTRIS (Gr. Xijorpic, a roller). Beak of moderate size, strong, 

 hard, somewhat cylindrical, compressed, curved, and hooked at the top ; 

 nostrils narrow, diagonal, covered behind with a horny plate, and perforated 

 from side to side ; wings long ; the middle two tail-quills exceeding the 

 others in length ; legs slender, naked above the knee ; tarsi as large as the 

 middle toe ; three toes in front completely webbed, hind toe free, about 

 one-third the length of the middle toe. 



8. STERNA. Beak longer than the head, nearly straight, compressed, 

 slender, and tapering ; mandibles of equal length, the upper rather inclined 

 towards the point, and the lower having a prominent angle towards its 

 middle ; nostrils rather behind the middle of the beak, linear, and commu- 

 nicating ; wings very long ; tail forked ; legs small, slender, naked above 

 the knee ; tarsus shorter than the middle toe, feet four-toed, the front three 

 connected by a more or less scalloped web, but the hind one free ; claws 

 sharp and arched, that of the middle thrice as large as those of the lateral 

 toes. 



LONGIPENNATA. DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIES. 



PROCELLARIA Petrel. The birds forming this genus seem naturally 

 divided into three sections from the peculiarity in then 1 nasal organs : in the 

 first the nostrils open by a single orifice; in the second by two tubes; and 

 in the third by one tube with two apertures. They are mostly natives of 

 northern climes ; are rarely seen except in very tempestuous weather dnring 

 daytime, and only leave the deserted rabbit or rat holes in which they live 

 at twilight, or when the aurora borealis makes its appearance. They are 

 always found in the seas where cetaceous animals are numerous, many of 

 them feeding on the parasites with which that class are infested ; and in the 

 event of heavy storms they fly for shelter to the ships which may chance to 

 be within their neighbourhood, and hence have acquired the name of Storm 

 Birds, which is applied to some of their species more especially. Whilst 

 flying they keep so close to the surface of the water, rising and stooping 

 with the waves, that they have been thought to walk on the water, and 

 hence their name Petrel or Little Peter ; but it is very rare that they rest 

 on the surface of the sea, and if they do it is always with expanded wings. 

 They feed on the flesh of cetaceous animals, also on their parasites, and 

 mollusca, insects, and the worms which float on the surface of the water. 

 And they possess a peculiar power of ejecting from their nostrils an oily 

 fluid on any one who meddles with them. 



They are divided into three sections, as already stated, viz., True Petrels, 

 Puffin Petrels, and Swallow Petrels. They vary in size from that of a Pigeon 

 to a Goose. The Giant Petrel is called by sailors Mother Gary's Goose. 

 Hartie's Petrel (Plate 17) is an illustration of the genus. 



HALADROMA. The birds of this genus very much resemble the Petrels 

 in their general figure and beak, and the Cormorants in their pouch-like 

 throat ; but, like the Albatrosses, they have no hind toe. They are ex- 

 tremely good divers. 



Berard's Haladrame or Petrel (Plate 1 7) is about eight inches long ; has 

 the head, cheeks, upper part of the neck and wings, the back and tail <l . ] , 

 glossy black; upper part of the throat, chest, and belly white; on each 



