404 



THE TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS — TUBIXARES. 



Si'. C'liAii, Adult: AlidVi', sdoty-liliick or (lu»ky-lulit,'iiioii», tlie upper tiiil-cdvert!*, except tlie 

 eiuls of the hui^'er feathers, with tlie Hule.s of tlie erissum, white. Lower parts, witli anterior 

 portion of the heail, yrayi.sli-fuli^'iiious. Bill deei) blaeii ; feet hlackish, the leys sometimes m.n'e 

 brown. 



Witig, 4.50-4.90 inches ; tail, 2.40-2.00 ; culmen, .40-.45 ; tarsus, .!K) ; middle toe, .(-O-.Or). 



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The Least Petrel — supposed to be tlie original "Mother Carey's Chicken" of tlie 

 sailors — appears to be an exclusively Atlantic species. Coiuinon nearly all tlie 

 year in various portions of the Northern Atlantic, it is rarely found near the land, 

 or only when breeding, or during the prevalence of severe storms. At certain seasons 

 of the yi'ar, especially during the latter part of suninier, it is found just outside of 

 the coast of Maine and Nova Scotia, and in the Bay of Fundy. So far as I am aware, 

 it breeds only on ditferent jjortions of the Atlantic coast of Europe and in the ALedi- 

 terraneaii, and is not known to breed on any part of the American coast. It has also 

 been met with on the eastern coast of Africa. It is found in Iceland ; but, according 

 to Professor Newton, it is evidently of infrecpient occurrence there. It is more 

 common on the Faroe Islands during the breeding-season, its principal stations being 

 till! northern islands of Fugloe and Naalsoe, near Thorslaon. Small flocks are seen 

 in autumn on the coast of Norway, and occasional stragglers are driven into the 

 fiords. It has not been found breeding on the Scandinavian coasts. It is ocicasionally 

 seen near the coast of Sweden, but is not known to occur in any part of Finland. It 

 is quite common in the breeding-season on the coast of Scotland, and breeds in con- 

 siderable numbers on several of the islands, being met with more or less id)undantly 

 in all three groups of the western and northern islands, in Skye, Statfa, lona, etc. It 

 is common in the Hebrides, and its breeding-places are numerous around most of the 

 larger islands of that group. Its most southern breeding-i)lace on the coast of Scot- 

 land is Ailsa Craig. It also breeds on certain parts of the coast of England and of 

 Ireland — as oif the Isle of ]Man, Lundy Island, the Scilly Islands, the Channel 

 Islands, and many other islets. 



Mr. T. L. Powys met with it in the Ionian Sea, near Pagania, in December, ISoT. 

 Mr. C. A. Wright (" Ibis," 18G4) mentions finding it resident all the year about Malta, 

 and very common on the south side of the island ; breeding also on the neighboring 

 Island of Filfola, where he found it laying a single white egg, without any nest. 



Mr. A. G. More speaks of having found it breeding on the Scilly Islands, on lona, 

 Statfa, in Skye, and in all the several groups of the western and northern islands. 

 Sir William Jardine is quoted as having seen it apparently breeding on the Isle 

 of Man. 



Ca])tain Sperling (" Ibis," 18G8) states that he met with it on the eastern coast of 

 Afri(!a, where, between the latitudes of Zambesi and Zanzibar, it appears to replace 

 the mdanof/aster. The mouth of the Zambesi nearly marks its most southern range 

 in that region. 



Mr. Howard Saunders (" Ibis," 1871) states that it, or a variety of it, breeds in 

 great abundance on the Hormigas, Isla Grossa, and other islands just outside the 

 entrance to the Mar Menor. 



Ill other parts of Europe, in the interior, stragglers of this species have been met 

 with; but in all instances their appearance has been fortuitous, and owing to their 

 inability to resist the violence of storms. In this way specimens have been obtained 

 in Denmark, North Germany, Belgium, Holland, etc. 



This bird is said also to breed on islands on the coast of Brittany, on others near 

 Marseilles, on the small islands near Sardinia, and in various other localities, both on 



HhM 



