312 The Egg of Thalassidroma Leachii, etc. 
the Atlantic, but breeding on neither, in Europe or in North 
America. I regret that I am not at liberty at present to state 
more definitely its breeding-place, from which the specimen 
in my possession was procured. An English gentleman, to 
whose liberality I am indebted for the specimen of this and 
the preceding kinds I have described, an ardent, zealous, and 
liberal Oólogist, who spares no pains or expense to add to the 
knowledge in his favorite study, and who obtained them last 
summer, lest he may be interfered with by others, in another 
year's acquisitions, withholds for the present, permission to 
give publicity to its breeding-place, and its habits in that con- 
nection. 
In June, 1846, I obtained a single specimen of this bird 
on the small, uninhabited island of Muskeget near Nantucket. 
It was picked up on the beach, and had apparently been dead . 
several days. I had it skinned, and kept it long enough to 
identify it, but it continued to be so extremely offensive that 
a gentleman in New York, to whom it was sent for examina- 
tion, threw it away. I have been told by gunners that it is 
not uncommon around Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard at 
certain seasons. 
The egg of thisbird is 23 in length by 1:2 in breadth. It 
bears a close resemblance to the egg of the Fulmar Petrel, 
but is at the same time readily distinguishable by the greater - 
size, the larger proportionate breadth, and the pointed end o 
the latter egg. In color it is pure white, granulated, but 
smooth to the touch, very oblong in shape, and one end is 
slightly more pointed than the other. 
The remarkably elongated shape of this egg, if common to 
all of this species, is a distinguishing characteristic from that 
of the P. cinereus, which Temminck. describes as very much 
rounded in shape, — “ plus ou moins arrondi.” 
