LEACH'S PETREL. 



FORK-TAILED PETREL. 

 OCEANODROMA LEUCORHOA. 



Char. Upper parts dull black ; upper tail-coverts white ; tail forked ; 

 under parts sooty black'; bill, legs, and feet black. Length about S 

 inches. 



Nest. A thin cushion of grass or moss at the end of a burrow in the 

 soil at the top of an ocean cliff. 



Eggs. I , white, marked chiefly around the larger end with fine spots 

 of reddish brown and lilac ; average size about 1.30 X i 00. 



This is a bird of the northern hemisphere, being as common on 

 the Pacific Ocean as on the Atlantic. Its chief breeding-station 

 on our shores is among the islands at the mouth of the Bay of 

 Fundy; but the open ocean is the bird's true home. 



Leach's Petrels are seldom seen about their nesting site during 

 the day, though in the evening they assemble there; and when 

 fluttering through the twilight or under the moon's guidance, they 

 have the appearance of a foraging squad of bats, though the bird's 

 wild, plaintive notes betray their race. The Petrels are not strictly 

 nocturnal, however ; for while one of a pair sits close on the nest 

 all day, — and this one has been generally the male, in my experi- 

 ence, — the mate is out at sea. 



When handled, these birds emit from mouth and nostrils a small 

 quantity of oil-like fluid of a reddish color and pungent, musk-like 



