20 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



While the food of these birds consists chiefly of liv- 

 ing fish, they also act as scavengers on the ocean. 



The Manx Shearwater may be regarded as a 

 typical Petrel. This bird breeds in considerable 

 numbers in the Hebrides, though in some of the 

 islands, curiously enough, it has been ousted by the 

 Puffins, a much smaller but very pugnacious bird. 

 About a hundred years ago the Puffins began to in- 

 crease rapidly, and drove the Shearwaters from the 

 holes which they occupied in the cliffs, so that now 

 comparatively few remain. The young of this bird 

 remain in the nest-burrow until long after they are 

 fully fledged, becoming, in consequence, enormously 

 fat. See Plate 37, Fig. 215. 



Leach's Fork-tailed Petrel is met with quite com- 

 monly in both American and European waters, hav- 

 ing quite an extensive range in Atlantic and Pacific 

 waters. See Plate 37, Fig. 214. 



Perhaps the most interesting of all the Petrels is 

 the little Stormy Petrel, known to sailors as "Mother 

 Carey's Chicken," whose appearance is supposed to 

 indicate a coming storm. Against the vast bulk of 

 the ocean it looks extremely small, seen through the 

 driving spray. Although, like the other members of 

 this family, the Stormy Petrel spends most of its time 

 on the ocean, it nests in holes in the ground. Many of 

 them are to be seen during the breeding season at the 

 mouth of the St. Lawrence River on the Perce Rocks. 



As a rule, Petrels are dark-coloured above, and 

 lighter below; but one species, the beautiful Snow 

 Petrel of the icy regions of the Antartic, is all pure 



