PELECANOIDES URINATRIX 143 



Pelecanoid.es TirinatriX, Oustaht, Miss. Sd. Cap Horn, Ois., p. 167, 



1891 ; Sahin, Gat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxv, p. 437, 1896. 

 PuflO-Iiaria ■UrinatriX, Gould, Birds of Australia, vii, pi. Is, 1844. 



Habitat. — The Seas of Australia, New Zealand, and Southern South 

 America. 



My experience of the Diving Petrel is limited to having seen 

 a specimen blown ashore at the head of Useless Bay in September, 

 which Mr. J. G. Cameron has in his possession. This I at first 

 thought might be the Little Auk (Alca alle)^ without knowing 

 whether that bird could occur in high southern latitudes. 



Many expeditions record this Petrel from the region of Cape 

 Horn, with varying experience as to its being rare or common. 



The " Uranie " met with one example only, in the Falkland 

 Islands, " 'prise lorsqu 'elle venoit se reposer a bord," and noted 

 "chose excessivement rare." 



Darwin found this bird common in the deep and quiet creeks 

 and inland seas of Tierra del Fuego and on the west coast of 

 Patagonia, as far north as the Chonos Archipelago. He saw 

 but one in the open sea, and this was between Tierra del 

 Fuego and the Falkland Islands. " It is a complete Auk in 

 its habits," he says, " although from its structure it must be 

 classed with the Petrels. ... Its affinity to the latter is clearly 

 shown by the form of its beak and nostrils, length of foot, and 

 even by the general colouring of its plumage. To the Auks it 

 is related in the general form of its body, its short wings, shape 

 of tail, and absence of hind toe to the foot. When seen from a 

 distance, and undisturbed, it would almost certainly be mistaken, 

 from its manner of swimming and frequent diving, for a Grebe. 

 When approached in a boat, it generally dives to a distance, and 

 on coming to the surface, with the same movement takes flight ; 

 having flown some way, it drops like a stone on the water, as if 

 struck dead, and instantaneously dives again. IsTo one seeing 

 this bird for the first time, thus diving like a Grebe and flying 

 in a straight line by the rapid movement of its short wings like 



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