424 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



under-parts at next, as body is tilted at right angles and tip of 

 lower wing seems almost to cut the waves. Obtains some of its 

 food by diving but bulk from surface, and in picking it up the 

 bird often paddles with its feet as smaller Petrels do. Silent except 

 after dark at the breeding-places where there is a babel of varying 

 sounds, some harsh, some soft and crooning. In hubbub of large 

 colony Coward distinguished following cries : " It-y-corka," 

 " Kitti-koo-roo," " Kok-a-kok," " Kok-a-roo-roo," and " It-is- 

 yor-folt." 



Breeding-habits. — Breeds in colonies, sometimes of considerable 

 size, sometimes making its burrow in low-lying islands, or at times 

 in grassy slopes on face of cliffs. Nest. — Merely a little dry grass in 

 some cases at end of burrow. Egg. — One only, white. Average of 

 100 eggs, 60.8x42.2. Max.: 66.5x42 and 63.7x45.1. Min. : 

 54.5x39.8 and 58.5x39 mm. Breeding -season. — From early May 

 to first half June. Incubation. — By both sexes. Period unknown^ 

 but estimated at a month (Hantzsch). Single brooded. 



Food. — Small fish (sprats, etc.), and offal of fish : also jaws of 

 Cephalopoda found in stomach. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident. Breeds Scilly Isles (in 

 great numbers), Lundy, several islands (notably Skomer) off coast 

 Wales as well as on mainland Carnarvon, several I. and 0. Hebrides 

 (notably Eigg and St. Kilda), Orkneys and Shetlands, and several 

 islands and a few promontories in Ireland (most numerously 

 Kerry). In late Aug. and Sept. considerable migrations (small 

 numbers end July and early Aug.) noted, and then becomes widely 

 spread round coasts, and examples are frequently picked up 

 exhausted inland. In winter a decided diminution in numbers, 

 which has been especially noted in Ireland and Scotland. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds south Iceland (Westmann Is.) 

 and Faeroes, and probably on Madeira, perhaps Salvages and 

 apparently formerly Azores. Other races in east and west 

 Mediterranean and on Bermudas. 



338. Puffinus puffinus mauretanicus * Lowe — The WESTERN 

 MEDITERRANEAN SHEARWATER. 



Puffinus puffinus mauretanicus Lowe, Bull. B.O. Club, xli, p. 140 

 (1921 — Western Mediterranean, Algeria, Malaga, also England). 

 Puffinus yelkouanus (Acerbi), Saunders, pp. 741-2. 

 Puffinus puffinus yelkouan (Acerbi), Hand-List Brit. Birds (1912), p. 153. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter and summer. — • 

 Like P. p. puffinus but upper-parts black-brown not so black and 



* All the British-taken examples so far examined belong to this form 

 and not to P. p. yelkouan (Procellaria yelkouan Acerbi, Bibl. ItaL, cxl, p. 297, 

 pi. xl vii, 1827 — Mediterranean) which occurs from the Bosporus to Sardinia 

 and Tunisia. 



