348 VERTEBRATA. 



"Safe in the storm, unhurt by wave or wind, 



Or thr()un;h the fearful tempest dost thou soar, 

 Tlie lleotest vessels Icavinj; fur behind, 

 Unchecked umidst the elemental roar. 



" Alas! how sure the hand that guides thy wing, 

 How safe the rudder, instinct, shapes thy course; 

 Ah! how unlike things made by hands of clay — 

 Thy piercing eyes, thy pinions' matchless force." 



Tlioufh the fjcncral history of this species is serious, one thing may be mentioned wliich is other- 

 wise. Thi'ir mode of selecting their mates, and also their courtship, is described as very ludi- 

 crous. The cou|)le approacli one another with great apparent ceremony, bringing their beaks 

 repeatedlv together, swinging their heads, and contemplating each other with very deliberate at- 

 tention. Sometimes this will continue for two hours together. 



Other species arc the Short-tailed Albatross, D. hrocUyura, found in the Northern Paci- 

 fic, and on the western coast of North America, figured by Cassin : the Sooty Albatross, D. 

 fuliffinosa, and the Yellow-nosed Albatross, D. chlororhyncha. 



THE FULMAR PETREL. 



The Petrels consist of several genera. The genus PROCELLARIA : Procellaria, includes the 

 Fulmars, which are active and greedy birds, of large size, distributed throughout the northern 

 portions of the Atlantic. They exist in almost incredible numbers on the rocky precipices of 

 St. Kilda, where they form one of the principal means of support to the inhabitants. The col- 

 lecting of the eggs, and the capturing of the birds in these wild and giddy heights, demand a de- 

 gree of courage and daring perhaps beyond any other human pursuit. A person is very often 

 swung over a precipice by a rope, and is let down two or three hundred feet, while the ocean 

 roars and tumbles a thousand feet beneath him. The eggs and feathers of these birds are not the 

 ouly objects of pursuit. When a Fulmar is seized, it instantly vomits a quantity of clear umber- 

 colored oil, which, although its odor is exceedingly disagreeable, is a valuable article of commerce. 

 Fulmer oil is, in fact, one of the most important productions of this island. Mr. J. Wilson, who 

 visited the site of these scenes, gives the following vivid description : "While bearing toward the 

 appointed place of rendezvous in the cutter, we enjoyed some splendid tacking off and on the 



