1866.] DR. A. CARTE ON A NEW PETREL. 95 



Atkinson. The second by Sir Henry Barkly. The next, a pair, 

 were sent by me to the Royal Dublin Society*. 



" The last bird I have heard of was killed by a labourer digging 

 caue-holes on the side of a hill on a property in Mctcalf ; tbe dig- 

 ging-bill suddenly sinking into the marl and cutting the bird through 

 the back." 



Mr. Gossef, in referring to what appears to me to be this bird, 

 says, quoting from information supplied to him by Mr. Hill, " In 

 the Blue Mountains, high up towards their summits, is a curious 

 burrowing bird, which is called the Blue-Mountain Duck. It is de- 

 scribed as having webbed feet, and a hooked parrot-bill. This de- 

 scription would indicate a species of Alca. It inhabits holes in the 

 cliffs, and is said to burrow to the extent of 10 feet. Nothing is 

 known of its habits of feeding. E. M'Geachy, Esq., Crown Sur- 

 veyor of the County of Surrey, first informed me of the existence of 

 such birds. He had himself taken them from the burrows. These 

 facts have also been assured to me by other observers." 



Mr. Gosse also refers to a specimen of this bird as being in the 

 possession of Mr. Atkinson of Newcastle-on-Tyne ; but I have not 

 been able to find that this gentleman ever published a description 

 of it. 



In Mr. March's letter he says that Mr. Hill recognized the bird 

 as that mentioned under the name of " Diabloton" by Attwood, in 

 his work entitled 'The History of the Island of Dominica,' pub- 

 lished in London in 1/91 ; on referring to which, at page 30 et seq., 

 I find it thus described : — " The Diabloton, so called by the French 

 from its uncommonly ugly appearance, is nearly the size of a Duck, 

 and is web-footed. It has a big round head, crooked bill like a 

 Hawk, and large full eyes like an Owl. Its head, part of the neck, 

 chief feathers of the wings and tail are black, the other parts of its 

 body are covered with a milky-white down ; and its whole appear- 

 ance is perfectly singular. They feed on fish, flying in great flocks 

 to the sea-side in the night-time ; and in their flight make a dis- 

 agreeable loud noise like Owls, which bird they also resemble in 

 their dislike of making their appearance in the daytime, when they 

 are hid in holes in the mountains, where they are easily caught." 



As I am given to understand by Mr. March that the name of 

 Prion caribbceum has been applied to the bird by Mr. Mitchell in 

 MS., I think it preferable, although I have failed to discover that 

 this gentleman has left any record on the subject, to describe it 

 under the same specific name, so as to avoid confusion in case 

 it should hereafter be found that the species has been previously 

 described. 



* The specimens now described, 

 t Birds of Jamaica, p. 437. 



