Ornithology of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. 301 
nearly four feet, within a few inches of the ground, was found 
to descend again, and, retracing its course, about two inches 
below the first passage, to terminate just below its opening 
at the depth of six or eight inches only, although the whole 
passage leading to it was eight or ten feet in length. How 
much time and hard labor this must have cost these birds, 
webfooted as they are, and but poorly supplied with means 
of excavating! At the end of this labyrinth I found a snug 
little chamber of about four cubic inches. It was close and 
offensive, — for the Petrels seem to appreciate the need of 
caloric more than of good ventilation. A neat, soft, and 
warm nest, constructed of fine grass, roots, and a few fea- 
thers, protected the egg from the cold soil. The egg is quite 
large for the size of the bird, pure white, when fresh and 
unsoiled, oblong in shape, and of uniform size at either end. 
The Forked-tailed Petrel of our coast is supposed to be 
identical with that of Europe. It may, however, not be 
amiss here to state, that there is a noticeable difference in 
size between the eggs of the European and the American 
birds, those of the latter being much larger. Whether this. N . 
accidental, or indicative of a specific difference, is a point 
worth determining hereafter by a comparison of the birds. 
The weather, during my stay in these islands, was remark- 
ably fine, and I saw none of these birds by daylight, except 
When found secreted in their holes. I was, however, 
that in foggy, and in stormy weather, they come out of their 
retreats and fly about in great numbers. At night, also, -— 
leave their hiding-places, and as they fly about the island, 
and over the water, utter a low, plaintive cry, like the half 
articulate wailing of a child. A more mournful or saddening 
sound can hardly be conceived ; and no one who has heard 
it, by the hour together, and from hundreds at a time, can 
ever be at a loss to account for the legends of unearthly 
beings and mysterious sounds with which northern shores, fre- 
quented by these spectral visitants, abound. I challenge even 
the stoutest disbeliever in ghosts and spirits to land at mid- 
