Okdee ANSEEES.] [Fam. PEOCELLAEIID^E. 



DAPTION CAPENSIS. 



(CAPE-PETREL.) 



Procellaria capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 213 (1766). 

 Baption capensis, Steph. Gen. Zool. xiii. p. 241 (1826). 

 Procellaria punctata, Ellman, Zool. 1861, p. 7473. 



Ad. pileo et collo postico usque ad interscapulium fuliginosis : dorsi totius plumis albis ad apicem conspicue 

 faliginoso maculatis : tectricibus alarum minimis fuliginosis, medianis et majoribus interioribus ad 

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

 faliginoso maculatis : caudae 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 nigra. 



Adult. Tbe 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 

 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 l - 25, length of lower man- 

 dible 1*4 ; tarsus l - 5 ; middle toe and claw 2. 



So familiar is the so-called " Cape-pigeon " to all who have made a voyage in the southern seas, 

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

 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 laud, 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 

 these birds attended our little steamer to the very mouth of the Wanganui river ; 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 



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