XXXIX. 



PROCELLARIA PUFFINUS. (linn.) 



Shearwater or Manks Petrel. 



Like the rest of the Petrels this is a bird seldom met 

 with. It breeds in small numbers in the Western islands, 

 upon St. Kildai, and the adjoining rocks; in Orkney, and in 

 Shetland. Though constantly on the watch during my stay 

 amongst the latter, I only once saw the bird at large, and 

 suppose that it must feed principally during the night, like 

 the Stormy Petrel. It breeds in the most wild and inaccessible 

 rocks which bound these desert islands, in holes, much in the 

 same manner as the Puffin, but is more careful in its selection, 

 choosing those which are more difficult to discover, and 

 overgrown at the mouth with tufts of grass ; it makes a slight 

 nest of dry herbs, usually about the depth of a man's arm, 

 though sometimes a good deal beyond his reach ; it lays one 

 egg only, commonly so much resembling that of our domestic 

 fowl that it cannot easily be distinguished from it. Amongst those 

 I procured, (about fifteen in number,) are two of the variety 

 figured in the Plate, a variety also occurring in the eggs of 

 the Puffin, which are in all respects closely allied. These I 

 had some difficulty in obtaining, from the very high estima- 

 tion in which the young birds are held by the fishermen as 

 food, for which they are annually captured ; and not until I 

 had offered a bribe could I prevail upon them to discover 

 their places of resort ; these are known to a very few only 

 of the natives, (the best and most daring climbers.) Dr. 

 Edmonston, of Shetland, informs me that the knowledge of 

 them is kept as a family secret, and handed down from 

 father to son. The Shearwater Petrel appears to be very 



