Birds observed heiween England and Cape of Good Hope. 197 



Lat. 9° S., where they get scarce. About Lat. 20" S. we meet 

 them again, and they get more common as we near the Cape. 

 Eound the South African coast they are sometimes seen in 

 flocks, but they do not come near shore. Farther south, in 

 Lat. 40° to 45° S., they are very common, and follow ships in 

 great numbers along with the albatross and Cape pigeon. On 

 one occasion, near the Bijouga Islands, we saw dense clouds 

 of these birds, so much so that we at first took them for land. 



27. Puffinus griscus (Gm.) — Sooty Shearwater. — Some- 

 times seen in the South Atlantic, but not at all common. 



28. Puffinus angloritm (Temm.) — Manx Shearwater. — iSTot 

 very common. I have seen one or two between Plymouth 

 and Madeira, and one once off Teneriffe. 



29. Puffinus ohsGurus, Bonap. — Dusky Petrel. — Two appar- 

 ently of this species were observed in Lat. 17° S., Long. 13° W. 



30. Procellaria pelagica, Linn. — Stormy Petrel. — Common 

 in north latitudes, where a few are generally to be seen in 

 the wake of the ship. It is not so common in more southerly 

 waters. 



31. Oceanites oceanica (Kuhl.) — Wilson's Petrel. — Common 

 in the Tropics and south as far as the Cape. It is often 

 seen in company with the last species, from which it is 

 readily distinguished by its size and white wing markings. 



32. Oceanites leucogaster (Gould) — White-bellied Petrel. — 

 A species chiefly seen near Cape Verde, where it is not 

 common. It flies with an unsteady, wavering flight close to 

 the water, and is sometimes seen to glide along for 

 some distance with its wings perfectly still and legs 

 hanging down, frequently touching the water with its feet, 

 and rebounding from it like a flying-fish. I have only seen 

 it singly. 



33. Procellaria giganfea (Gm.) — Giant Petrel. — Not un- 

 common on the South African coast. At the anchorages of 



o 



East London and Natal a pair is often seen among the 

 shipping picking up scraps and offal. Any attempt to catch 

 one with a hook and liue proved unsuccessful; they would 

 hold on until they were lifted off the water, and then let go. 

 They have the strong odour peculiar to this class of birds in 

 a very marked degree. 



