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Ordeb ANSERES,] 



[Fam. PROCELLARIID^ 



CAPTION CAPENSIS. 



(CAPE-PETREL.) 



Procellaria capensiSy Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 213 (1766). 

 Bastion capensis^ Steph. Gen. Zool. xiii. p. 241 (1826). 

 Procellaria punctata^ tUlman, Zool. 1861, p. 7473. 



4 



Ad, pileo et coUo postico usque ad interscapulium fuliginosis : dorsi totius plumis albis ad apicem conspicue 



fuliginoso maculatis ; tectricibus alarum minimis fuliginosis/ medianis et majoribus interioribus ad 

 basin conspicue albis : remigibus fuliginoso-brunneis, intus ad basin albis, secundariis albis, ad apicem 

 fuliginoso maculatis : caudse dimidio basali albo, apicali late fuliginoso-brunneo : mento fuliginoso : 

 corpore reliquo subtus albo, subcaudalibus exterioribus et subalaribus marginalibus fuliginosis : rostro 

 nigro : pedibus saturate brunneis : iride nigr&. 



Adult, The whole of the head, throat, back, and sides of the neck sooty black ; the back, mantle, rump, 

 and upper tail-coverts white, handsomely spotted with sooty black, each feather marked with a terminal 

 triangular spot of that colour ; fore neck, breast, and all the underparts pure white ; primaries blackish 

 brown, paler on the inner webs, and more or less varied with white ; secondaries and scapulars white 

 towards the base, black in their apical portion; wing-coverts" sooty black, the longer ones varied with 



r 



white ', under surface of wings white, stained with sooty grey towards the edges ; the long under tail- 

 coverts tipped with sooty grey. Irides and bill black; legs and feet dark brown. Length 15 inches; 

 wing, from flexure, 10; tail 4; bill, following curvature of upper mandible 1*25, length of lower man- 

 dible 1"4 ; tarsus 1"5 ; middle toe and claw 2. 



southern 



and so fully has its history been recorded^ that it seems scarcely necessary, in giving an account 



■ n 



of the birds of a particular country, to do more than notice its occurrence. 



It is numerous off the New-Zealand coast at most seasons of the year; and in stormy 

 weather it often approaches the land, following in the wake of the tossing vessel, hovering grace- 

 fully over the water, and occasionally alighting on the surface to pick up any floating substance 

 that may arrest its attention. On one occasion, in comparatively smooth weather, a number of 



Wan 



but this 



occurrence was quite exceptional. 



Captain Hutton states that he has observed a Cape-pigeon following a ship for several days 

 in succession, when she has been making from 150 to 200 miles in the twenty-four hours. He 

 adds : — " It is, I believe, the generally received opinion of naturalists that these birds, when 

 seen for several days together, have never slept during the whole period, but have followed the 



2r2 



