PETRELS. 255 



Petrel is a close sitter, remaining in its hole until 

 dragged out. It is also crepuscular in its habits at 

 its nesting-places, becoming lively at dusk, when it 

 may be seen flitting to and from the sea in a silent 

 bat-like manner. So far as is known, the breeding 

 area of the Stormy Petrel is exclusively confined to 

 the islands and coasts of the East Atlantic. 



MANX SHEARWATER. 



The Shearwaters are a well-defined group of 

 Petrels, numbering twenty or more species, dis- 

 tinguished by their long, slender bill, long wings, 

 and short tails. As the Fulmars bear a superficial 

 resemblance to the Gulls, so may the Shearwaters 

 be compared with the Auks. Four of these birds 

 are known to visit the British seas and coasts, but 

 only one of them, the Manx Shearwater, Puffinus 

 anglorum, is known to breed within our limits, and 

 to occur in any abundance. The upper parts of 

 this Shearwater are black, the lower parts white. 

 The Manx Shearwater is, so far as is known, a 

 resident in the British seas, and widely distributed 

 along our coasts during the season of reproduction. 

 Like its allies, the Petrels, this Shearwater is closely 

 attached to the open sea, living for the most part 

 away from shore, and only frequenting land during 

 its nesting period. Its flight is much more erratic 

 and rapid than that of the small Petrels, or the 

 Gull -like Fulmar, and reminds one more of the 

 Swift. It may be seen dashing impetuously along 



