FEIGATE-PETEEL 547 



FRIGATE-PETREL. Pelagodroma marina (Latham). 



Coloured Figures. Dresser, 'Birds of Europe,' vol. ix, pi. 719; 

 Lilford, ' Coloured Figures,' vol. vi, pi. 57. 



The Frigate-Petrel, a native of the Oceans of the 

 Southern Hemisphere, has twice been procured off the 

 British coast ; once in England and once in Scotland, on 

 both occasions after heavy gales. The first record is that 

 of a bird washed ashore dead on Walney Island off the Lan- 

 cashire coast in November, 1890. It was identified by the 

 late Mr. 0. Salvin, who obtained it from the late Rev. H. A. 

 Macpherson (' Ibis,' 1892, pp. 602-604, vide also 'Fauna of 

 Lakeland,' p. 457). The other example was taken alive on 

 the Island of Colonsay on January 1st, 1897, and was 

 identified by Mr. Eagle Clarke ; it is now preserved in the 

 Edinburgh Museum (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1897, p. 88). 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Top of head, back of 

 neck, and patch behind eye, dark slate-grey ; over the eye 

 a broad white stripe ; back and scapulars, chiefly grey ; 

 wing- co verts, brown ; primaries, brownish-black ; rump and 

 upper tail-coverts, chiefly light grey ; tail-feathers, blackish, 

 but greyish at the basal half ; forehead, front of cheeks, 

 throat, breast, and abdomen, white ; sides of neck, flanks, 

 and under tail-coverts, white, mottled with grey. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar in plumage to the male. 



Adult winter, male and female. Similar to the nuptial 

 plumage. 



Immature, male and female. Resembles the adult 

 plumage. 



BEAK. Black. 



EEET. Black ; webs yellow, with a brownish edge. 



IRIDES. Brown. 



EGG. White, more or less finely spotted, and often 

 zoned towards the larger end with dark red and purplish 

 dots ; in some instances equally spotted all over the shell, 

 or entirely devoid of markings : clutch, one (Ogilvie-Grant. 

 'Ibis/ 1896, p. 52). 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH 7'75 in. 



WING 6-25 



BEAK 0'9 ,, 



TARSO-METATABSUS 16 ,, 



EGG ... 1-35 x lin. 



