206. BRITISH BIRDS’ EGGS. 
STORM PETREL. 
PROCELLARIA PELAGICA, Linn. 
Pl. XXXVL, fig. 5. 
Geogr. distr.—Atlantic ocean generally ; also the eastern, western, 
and south-western coasts of Africa: tolerably common off the British 
coasts, breeding on the Scilly Islands, the rocky shores of the north 
of Cornwall, and on the Shetland Islands and St. Kilda. 
Food.—Smaill fishes, Mollusca, and Crustacea. 
Nest.—Merely a collection of fragments of plants in a depression in 
the ground, or in holes in the soft mud, the entrance being as large as 
a rabbit-burrow, leading to branching galleries, in which several pairs 
breed in company. 
Position of nest.—Amongst trees or in hollows in cliffs. 
Number of eggs.—l1. 
Time of nidrfication.—VI-X. 
Mr. Cecil Smith observes that this species ‘‘ breeds in 
a hole or crevice of rocks or rabbit hole.” He adds :—‘“‘ Mr 
Sanford gave me a curious description of a Storm Petrel 
breeding-station, which he had visited, on a small rocky 
island off the coast of Galway, called Hu Island. On 
the top of this island there is an ancient building, like 
the domed hut of an Esquimaux. The walls of this hut 
are very thick, nearly five feet, and in the holes in these 
walls the storm Petrel bred in considerable numbers, but 
on no other part of the island, neither in the crevices in 
the rocks nor in the holes in the ground.”’—‘ Birds of 
Somersetshire,’ p. 627.) 
According to Mr. Howard Saunders, this species breeds 
“ freely at many different places, generally on small islands; 
but is never observed to frequent land except during the 
breeding season’’—(Yarrell, 4th ed., vol. iv., p. 43.) 
Hewitson says that the nests have the appearance of 
being carefully made, of small bits of stalks of plants and 
pieces of hard dry earth. He adds that ‘‘ during the day 
the old birds remain within their holes, and, when the 
other birds are gone to rest, issue forth in great numbers, 
spreading themselves far over the surface of the sea.” 
