544 . PBQCELLAKIII)^ 



Sub-Family OCEANITIN^E. 

 WILSON'S PETREL. Oceanites oceanicus (Kuhl). 



Coloured Figures. Dresser, ' Birds of Europe/ vol. viii, pi. 614, 

 fig. 1 ; Lilford,' Coloured Figures,' vol. vi, pi. 56. 



Eegarding the origin of this Petrel's name Mr. Sauriders 

 writes : " This remarkably long-legged Petrel was noticed 

 and figured as frocellaria pelagica by Wilson (Am. Orn. 

 vii, p. 90, pi: Ix. fig. 6) under the impression that it was 

 identical with the Storm-Petrel ; but the earliest scientific 

 description of it was given by Kuhl in 1820. In 1824 Bona- 

 parte published a memoir on this and three more species, 



PIG. 67. 



HEAD OF WILSON'S PETREL. 

 Nat) size. 



FIG. 68. 



LEFT FOOT OF WILSON'S PETREL. 



Nat. size. 



with the distinctive characters, measurements, and figures 

 of each; and, in ignorance of Kuhl's name, proposed to call 

 the bird Procellana wilsoni, in honour of the distinguished 

 ornithologist, whose name can, however, only be handed 

 down to posterity in the trivial appellation." As a British 

 bird, Wilson's Petrel has occurred on several occasions, yet 

 it must be looked upon only as a rare and casual visitor to 

 our Isles. 



Among the earliest British records are those given by 

 Gould, when numbers were seen off Land's End in May, 



