5798 Birds. 



Notes and Remarks on the Storm Petrel, American Bittern, Night 

 Hawk, fyc. By Captain Henry W. Hadfield. 



July 12, ]857. — When only a few miles from the north-west coast 

 of Ireland (the day after leaving Liverpool), I observed a few storm 

 petrels. I had on the previous evening seen several puffins and guil- 

 lemots off the Calf of Mann. 19th. — When about half-way across 

 the Atlantic, saw several storm petrels about the ship, and following 

 in the wake, occasionally settling down on the water for a hw 

 seconds, but more frequently merely dipping the legs or feet, but 

 whether they were made use of in picking up food from the surface, I 

 could not distinguish, though I should imagine that their webbed feet 

 would prevent their obtaining it in that manner, and that when so seen 

 they were engaged in taking a closer inspection of the water. 20th. — 

 The steamer was to-day followed by a great number of gulls and a few 

 storm petrels, the latter approaching so near that I could observe the 

 white patch on the rump. The former were to be seen in vast num- 

 bers ; but there were only two kinds ; indeed, I had at first supposed 

 that they all belonged to one species, and that the few dark or dusky 

 ones might be young and immature birds ; but on a closer inspection 

 I perceived that the latter were both longer in the wing and neck, and 

 that, moreover, in their flight they kept apart from the short-winged 

 white gulls, which are speckled on the wings, making gray appear the 

 predominant colour of that part ; the quills are tipped with black. 

 There are patches of white on the wings, both above and beneath, 

 which are peculiarly conspicuous, giving to the edge of the wing an 

 appearance of having been cut. The body is short and stout, head 

 large, neck short. They frequently, on observing food, settled on the 

 water, on these occasions invariably fighting for every mouthful. 

 21st. — Saw a few gulls and petrels. 22nd. — At 8 o'clock A. m. ob- 

 served a small brown bird not unlike the willow wren in shape. 

 After flving round the ship it settled on the rigging, where it was 

 caught, but subsequently released before I had an opportunity of 

 examining it. 



American Bittern (Ardea minor, Wilson). July 23, 1857. — When 

 snipe-shooting near St. John's, Newfoundland, a bittern rose out of a 

 marsh, which proved to be the American bittern, which, I was subse- 

 quently informed, is a very rare bird in the island ; and I am inclined 

 to believe it to be so, for on my way back to the town scarcely a per- 

 son passed who did not either inquire what bird it was, or stop to 

 examine it, declaring that they had never seen one like it. One 



