368 VERTEBRATA. AVES. 



preceding and during a gale ;" and that it seeks the 

 shelter of the ship, as a refuge ; both of which sup- 

 positions we regard, from the personal experience of 

 many voyages, as utterly groundless. The following 

 notes were made by the writer, in a voyage to the 

 Gulf of Mexico a few years since, and may not be 

 unacceptable : " The Petrels are pretty little birds, 

 and as they come close under the stern, with a most 

 confiding sense of security, I am never weary with 

 watching them. They will follow in the wake of a 

 vessel for days together, apparently without sleep, or 

 even rest, for I have never seen them attempt to swim. 

 The greasy particles in the dish-washings, crumbs 

 of bread, &c., which are constantly being thrown 

 overboard, afford food to the birds, which eagerly 

 examine the surface of the water in the wake for 

 whatever floats. One afternoon, in a calm, I amused 

 myself by feeding them ; picking off little bits of 

 meat, and throwing them into the water, which the 

 Petrels would instantly discover and pick up. The 

 bits of fat swam, and the bird, flying over them, 

 would descend close to the surface, put down its little 

 web-feet, to paddle the water, keeping the wings ex- 

 panded, and take the morsel up with its beak, rising 

 into the air to eat it. If a bit of lean were thrown 

 down, it would begin to sink, and the birds would 

 dive after it, not first alighting on the surface, but 

 going right under, perpendicularly, from the air. I 

 saw some go down to the depth of two feet, or more, 

 the wings continuing expanded all the time. They 

 would come out perfectly dry, and mount from the 



