412 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Mediterranean Shearwater. The note of these birds we never 

 ascertained, and when seen on the wing they were always silent 

 so far as we heard. 



Perhaps the most interesting met with was the White-breasted 

 Petrel (Pelagodroma marina), a lovely bird, with all the under 

 parts, as well as the forehead and wide eyebrow stripes, snow- 

 white, the upper parts dark sooty grey, and with very long 

 black legs and yellow middles to the webs of the feet. This 

 species was previously known to inhabit the Australian seas, and 

 one or two eggs were obtained many years ago by Gould on the 

 west coast of Australia. One or two specimens had from time to 

 time been obtained off the Canary Islands, and one was recently 

 picked up dead on Walney Island after a great storm, but these 

 were merely regarded as accidental stragglers. We first observed 

 and recognised with pleasure these beautiful Petrels as we neared 

 the Salvages, when numbers were seen flitting along close to the 

 surface of the sea, with their long legs dangling beneath them 

 and just touching the water. Now they would be lost sight of in 

 the hollows between the huge Atlantic rollers, now reappear, 

 closely following, with their graceful, easy flight, the undulating 

 waters. On the afternoon of our arrival, we found an egg of this 

 bird in what we at first mistook for a rabbit burrow, but it was 

 unfortunately broken by one of the men. This, however, 

 opened our eyes, and we subsequently found that large colonies 

 of the White-breasted Petrel were breeding on the flat top of the 

 island, in burrows dug out in the sandy ground, and partly con- 

 cealed by the close-growing ice-plant. It was very unpleasant 

 walking over these breeding-grounds, which occupied considerable 

 areas, for the ground was honey-combed in every direction with 

 burrows, which gave way at each step, and one's boots rapidly 

 became full of sand. By thrusting one's arm into one hole after 

 another we soon procured a fine series of specimens, accompanied 

 in most cases by an egg, for we had evidently just hit off the 

 breeding season, and most of the birds having laid their single 

 egg were just commencing to sit. The egg is white, more or less 

 finely spotted, and often zoned towards the larger end with dark 

 purplish red dots. Both sexes take part in the incubation, for 

 out of twelve birds captured on the egg, three were males. 

 While thus engaged, we found quite a number of dead birds and 

 sucked eggs, evidently the work of Mice, for their droppings were 



