UTTBODTrCTIOir. 



31 



flying backwards and forwards, with its long wings, fishing close 

 to the surface, with the lower half of the beak ploughing the 

 water. It is the very singular shape of the beak which makes 

 it specially noteworthy. 



With the Grulls our minds naturally associate that Oceanic 

 Bird with an ill-omened name,, the Storm-petrel (Procellaria 

 pdagiea), which breeds on Lundy Island and on others off our 

 Western coasts. These birds roam over the Atlantic and are 

 known as " Mother Carey's Chickens." They differ greatly 

 from the GuUs and Terns in being silent birds. This Petrel 



Kg. 30. 



The Storm-petrel {Frocellaria pelagica). 



is a type of a group of more than 100 species distributed 

 throughout the Ocean all over the world, and so pelagic that 

 they only rarely come to land except to breed. They are web- 

 footed birds with hooked bills> long wings, and a short tail, but 

 their most noticeable pecuHarity is that their nostrils are pro- 

 longed outwards as short tubes. They have wonderful powers 

 of £ght and are excellent swimmers, though many of them hardly 

 ever dive. They will often accompany a ship for many days. 

 The various species differ very greatly in size — our type being 

 one of the smallest, not much larger than a Swallow. A rather 



