BIRDS. 



273 



very awkward on land. The auks now living are small 



and confined to the arctic regions. The great auk, 



which was three feet 



high, much resembled the 



penguin, but is believed 



to be extinct since the 



middle of the present 



century. The loons or 



divers are common in 



the northern parts of 



both continents. They 



have a peculiar wild, 



shrill, and howling cry. 



Longipennae. The 

 birds of this group, the 

 gulls and terns, have 

 long arid powerful wings, 

 which form when spread 

 a narrow flexible band. 

 The legs are set in about 

 the middle of the body, which is horizontal when stand- 

 ing. All pass a great part of the time suspended be- 

 tween the sky and the sea, and they are found hundreds 

 of miles from any land. They follow ships in large 

 numbers, seeking either the debris of food thrown over- 

 board or the fishes attracted by this debris. There are 

 many species. 



Tubinares. This order includes the species of albatross 

 and petrel. The albatross is three or four feet in total 

 length, and is found principally in Southern seas, though 

 the black-footed albatross is abundant on our Pacific 

 coasts. It frequently follows ships far out at sea, as 

 does also the stormy petrel, or Mother Carey's chicken, 



GREAT 



NORTHERN DIVER 



glacialis). 



(Colymbi 



