THE YOUNG ORNITHOLOGIST. 



decided to stop there, instead of look- 

 ing fiirtlier in quest of a better place. 

 It was very warm and the sk}' had 

 that hazy appearance so often seen 

 during a warm day in summer. Off 

 across the fields waves of hot air 

 could be seen rising from the heated 

 earth. In the west were two or three 

 pyramidial white clouds resembling- 

 mountains of snow often a forerunning 

 of a thunder storm, but in this case 

 they passed by towards the southeast, 

 and the sun which had been partly 

 hidden burst forth again in all his 

 splendor. 



( To be Conii?meii.) 



LEACHS PETREL. 



The burrows of the 3'ear were 

 readily distinguished by their fresh 

 appearance and b}' the excavated dirt 

 newly thrown out. 



Down on our hands and knees we 

 went to work digging for the sitting 

 birds. The reddish mould, staining 

 hand.s and clothing of the operator, 

 was quite mellow, and following the 

 sinuous course of the Inirrows, gen- 

 erally^ several feet in length, the birds 

 each with its single egg were brought 

 to light. Occasionally the burrow con- 

 tained two birds and no egg, the pair 

 probably cohabiting previous to incu- 

 bation. On being unearthed the birds 

 seemed perfectly astonished and 

 stupid, dazed, perhaps from having 

 the light of day thus suddeuly let in 

 on them. Sometimes they would 

 sidle off the egg, often they would 

 permit numbers to be taken without 

 any effort to escape 



This was Leach's Petrel, {Cymo- 

 cJiorea lencorvhoa,) which breeds com- 

 monly along the coast of Nova Scotia 

 and also on the northeastern coast of 



Maine. About Mud and Seal Islands 

 their nests could be found all through 

 the woods, in the ground, in rotten 

 logs and stumps, and under the roots 

 of trees. About 8.50 in length, 18.50 

 in extent, with wing 6.25, tail 3.25, 

 bill .72 and tarsus 1.02. The color is 

 sooty brown, darkest on the wings 

 and tail, the wing-coverts ashy and 

 the tail-coverts white. About 1.30 x 

 .95 oval, both ends alike, the egg is 

 white, with a wreath of delicate light 

 spots around one end, the spots some- 

 times clustering about the point ; or 

 the egg may be pure white. As it is 

 laid on the damp earth, or at most on 

 a few rootlets still retaining the red 

 mould, seldom on a few dried grasses, 

 it is generally quite soiled 



Out at sea their flight is truly beau- 

 tiful, very much resembling the flight 

 of the swallows. But for its con- 

 spicuous white spot on its rump, the 

 unpracticed eye might easily mistake 

 the specie for a Black Martin. Toss 

 ing and dashing hither and thither, it 

 seems to toy with every breeze. No 

 gale can overpower its vigorous flight. 

 Playing on the very crest of the wave, 

 ever and anon it will drop into the 

 leeward of the heavy billows, to enjoy 

 the temporary calm of these gorges 

 and ravines of the sea. 



Noticeable to every eye is its patting 

 the surface of the most troubled wat- 

 ers with its tiny feet, thus Peter-like 

 walking on the waves, and so acquir- 

 ing its common name Petrel. In day- 

 time it is nowhere to be found along 

 the shore, but miles out at sea it is 

 the constant companion of the fisher- 

 man ; sporting under the bows of 

 stern of his boat, gorging itself with 

 liits of livei- thrown overboard, or 



