632 



Palmi- 

 pedes. 



ORNITHOLOGY. 



and the carcasses of cetaceous animals, and when caught 

 squirts out a quantity of oil from the nostrils. 



In the arctic seas a very abundant species is the fulmar 

 petrel, Procellaria glacialis, which is nearly of the size of 

 the herring gull, and has the upper parts of a light bluish- 

 gray, the head and lower parts white. It is extremely 

 voracious, and although its principal food consists of fish, 

 it devours indiscriminately any floating animal substance, 

 and follows in flocks the track of a wounded whale, until 

 the huge animal is exhausted, when it alights on the car- 

 cass, and devours the blubber until satiated. This bird is 

 one of those most familiar to the sailors of the whale-ships, 

 on which it constantly attends, to pick up any offal that is 

 thrown overboard, and come in for its share of the plunder 

 when a whale has been captured. It breeds abundantly 

 in the island of St Kilda, the inhabitants of which obtain 

 a large quantity of oil from the stomachs of the individuals 

 which they catch for that purpose. 



Of the smaller dark-coloured species may be mentioned 

 the common or storm petrel, P. pelagico., which is not 

 larger than a lark, and in its flight resembles a swallow 

 (Plate CCCCI. fig. 5); Leach's petrel, P. Leachii ; and 

 Wilson's petrel, P. Wilsonii. Respecting the latter, we 

 may quote the following passage from the description given 

 of it by M. Audubon, in his Ornithological Biography. 

 " But now, ever flapping its winglets, I have marked the 

 little bird, dusky all over save a single spot, the whiteness 

 of which contrasts with the dark hue of the waters, and 

 the deep tone of the clear sky. Full of life and joy, it 

 moves to and fro, advances towards the ship, then shoots far 

 away, gambols over the swelling waves, dives into their 

 hollows, and twitters with delight as it perceives an object 

 that will alleviate its hunger. Never fatigued, the tiny 

 petrels seldom alight, although at times their frail legs 

 and feet seem to touch the crest of the foaming wave. I 

 love to give every creature all the pleasure I can confer 

 upon it, and towards the little things I cast over the stern 

 such objects as I know they will most prize. Social crea- 

 tures ! would that all were as innocent as you ! There 

 are no bickerings, no jealousies, among you ; the first that 

 comes is first served : it is all the result of chance ; and 

 thus you pass your lives. But the clouds gather, the gale 

 approaches, and our gallant bark is trimmed. Darkness 

 spreads over the heavens, and the deep waters send back a 

 blacker gloom, broken at intervals by the glimmer of the 

 spray. You meet the blast, and your little wings bear 

 you up against it for a while ; but you cannot encounter 

 the full force of the tempest ; and now you have all come 

 close beneath me, where you glide over the curling eddies 

 caused by the motion of the rudder. You shall have all 

 possible attention paid you, and I will crawl to the cam- 

 boose, in search of food to support your tiny frames in 

 this hour of need. But at length night closes around, 

 and I bid you farewell.. ..The gale is over ; the clear blue 

 of the sky looks clearer than ever, the sun's rays are 

 brighter, on the quiet waters the ship seems to settle in 

 repose, and her wings, though widely spread, no longer 

 swell with the breeze. At a distance around us the dusky 

 wanderers are enjoying the bright morning ; the rudder- 

 fish, yesterday so lively, has ended its career, so violently 

 was it beaten by the waves against the vessel ; and now 

 the petrels gather around it, as it floats on the surface. 

 Various other matter they find ; here a small crab, there 

 the fragments of a sea-plant. Low over the deep they 

 range, and now with little steps run on the waters. Few 

 are their notes, but great their pleasure, at this moment. 

 It is needless for me to feed them now, and therefore I 

 will return to my task." 



The puffin-petrels, genus Puffinus, are separated from 

 the rest on account of their having the extremity of the 

 lower mandible decurved as well as that of the upper, and 



the nostrils opening, not by a common orifice, but by two 

 distinct apertures. (Plate CCCCI. fig. 9.) 



Of this genus may be mentioned the cinereous puffin- 

 petrel, Pujjinus cinereus ; the Manks petrel, Pr. anglorum ; 

 and the dusky petrel, Pr. obscura. 



In the genus Haladroma of Illiger, the throat is di- 

 latable like that of the cormorants, and the hind toe is 

 entirely wanting as in the albatrosses. In the genus Pa- 

 chyptila of the same author, the bill is enlarged at the 

 base, and its margins are garnished interiorly with fine 

 delicately-pointed vertical lamellae. (See Plate CCCCI. 

 fig. 6.) 



The albatrosses, genus Diomedea, are the largest and 

 most powerful of all the feathered wanderers of the ocean. 

 Their bill, which is large, strong, and sharp-edged, is 

 terminated by a strong hook ; their nostrils, which are tu- 

 bular, are placed apart ; and their feet are destitute of 

 the hind toe. Their plumage is full, soft, and elastic, and 

 their wings, although narrow, are exceedingly long. They 

 are thus equally organized for swimming and flying, and 

 are met with in all parts of the intra-tropical and southern 

 oceans, sometimes following a ship in full sail for many 

 days, to pick up the refuse thrown overboard. They fly 

 with surprising buoyancy and speed, and are able to bear 

 up against the most violent tempests. When fatigued or 

 satiated they rest upon the waters. Their food consists 

 of the carcasses of all sorts of animals, as well as live fishes, 

 Crustacea, mollusca, and other creatures, and their voracity 

 is such that sometimes having gorged themselves to ex- 

 cess, they are unable for a time to fly, and may be caught 

 or destroyed. Under these circumstances, however, birds 

 generally disgorge the contents of their gullet and sto- 

 mach, and by thus lightening themselves, are enabled to 

 escape. 



Of the different species of this genus, that which is the 

 best known, as well as the largest, is the wandering alba- 

 tross, Diomedea exulans. It is as large as a swan, being 

 four feet in length, and measuring ten feet between the 

 tips of its extended wings ; its upper parts dusky, the low- 

 er white, the neck and sides transversely streaked with 

 brown, the primary quills black, the bill yellowish white, 

 the feet flesh-colour. This celebrated bird is principally 

 met with in the seas adjacent to the Cape of Good Hope, 

 and in those that separate the American continent from 

 the Asiatic. It is extremely voracious, feeding on fishes, 

 mollusca, and the carcasses of whales and other animals 

 It is said that when it cannot swallow a large fish at once, 

 it introduces part of it, and waits until it is digested be- 

 fore swallowing the rest. Its flesh, although hard and dry, 

 is eaten by the inhabitants of Kamtschatka, who use its 

 bones for tobacco-pipes and needle-cases. 



From the albatrosses to the larger birds of the next ge- 

 nus the transition is but slight, both as regards form and 

 habits. 



The gulls, genus Larus, Plate CCCCI. fig. 8, consti- 

 tute an extensive group, of which representatives are 

 found in all parts of the globe. They are characterized 

 by their longish, compressed bill, of which the upper man- 

 dible is arched towards the end, while the lower is there 

 furnished with an angular prominence. The nostrils, 

 which are placed near the middle, are linear-oblong and 

 pervious. Their body is generally light, the neck of mo- 

 derate length, their head ovate and rather large, their legs 

 of ordinary length, and their hind toe very small, or some- 

 times obsolete. Some of the species are met with in 

 the open ocean, but it is chiefly along the coasts, and 

 especially near the mouths of rivers, that they are most 

 frequently seen, and in stormy weather they often make 

 incursions over the land in search of worms, larvae, and 

 carrion. Their food consists chiefly of small fishes, 

 Crustacea, and mollusca ; but to the larger species hardly 



Palmi- 

 pedes. 



