Birds of the South Orkney Islands. 169 



Petrels. He heard a low whistling sound proceeding from 

 a crevice in a rock on the east side of Uruguay Cove, 

 Laurie I., and about fifteen feet above the sea, and on 

 climbing up found what he at first thought to be a pair of 

 Wilson's Petrels, and managed to secure the female. Two 

 eggs, badly broken in the endeavour to capture the birds, were 

 found near the mouth of the crack — one of them obviously 

 of a previous season, the other deeply incubated. 



On examining the captured bird it was at once evident 

 that it was not a specimen of Oceanites oceanicus, for it had 

 entirely black feet, had white on the under surface, the 

 feathers of the back slightly edged with white, a longer and 

 more hooked mandible, and strongly upturned nasal tubes. 

 On the return of the Expedition, I found this bird to be an 

 example of Freyetta melanogaster — the Black-bellied Storni- 

 Petrel. 



The dimensions of the egg secured were 3 - 60 x 2*55 cm., 

 and correspond with those of F. melanogaster, from the 

 Falklandsand Kerguelen, in the British Museum Collection. 

 The locality was again visited in the hope that the escaped 

 bird might be found. It was not there, however, nor were 

 other individuals of this species observed elsewhere in the 

 islands. 



The occurrence of this species is one of the most in- 

 teresting ornithological discoveries made by the Expedition. 

 It implies a remarkable extension in its known range, and 

 removes the doubt which has hitherto overshadowed (cf. 

 1 Antarctic Manual/ p. 228) the record of its having bred at 

 South Georgia as mentioned by Pagenstecher ( f Die Vogel 

 Sud-Georgiens/ p. 18, 1885) in the Southern summer of 

 1882-1883. 



TlIALASSffiCA ANTARCTICA (Gm.). 



Thalassceca antarctica Cat. B. xxv. p. 392. 



A few examples only of the Antarctic Fulmar were seen at 

 the South Orkneys ; but it is thought by the members of the 

 Expedition that it may possibly have bred on the east side 

 of the Ferguslie Peninsula, along with the Cape and Snowy 

 Petrels, in the summer of 1903. 



