THE FULMAR PETREL. 443 



Genus FULMARUS Steph. 



Fulmartjs Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool., xm, i, p. 233 (1826 — Type by 

 subsequent designation, of Gray, 1855, F. glacialis). 



Large Petrels with distinct pterygoid processes. 1st developed 

 primary longest ; tail slightly rounded with 14 rectrices. Nostrils 

 in tube on top of culmen, divided by thin membrane. Tarsus shorter 

 than feet. One species, one form of which in N. Atlantic, another 

 in N. Pacific. 



FULMARUS GLACIALIS 



349. Fulmarus glacialis glacialis (L.)— THE FULMAR PETREL. 



Procellaria glacialis Linnaeus, Fauna Svecica, ed. 11, p. 51 (1761 — 



Arctic Sea). 



Fulmarus glacialis (Linnaeus), Yarrell, iv, p. 1 ; Saunders, p. 751. 



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

 Whole head, nape, hind-neck extending on to upper-mantle white 

 more or less tinged yellow, or varying from white with a tinge of 

 grey to entirely blue-grey as dark as mantle,* small patch on 

 anterior edge and in front of eye blackish -grey, feathers with some- 

 what bristle -like black projecting shafts ; rest of mantle, scapulars 

 and back blue -grey with a silvery tinge and feathers margined paler 

 silver-grey (in worn plumage exposed portions of feathers become 

 brownish owing to abrasion of silvery-white radii) ; long scapulars 

 rather darker than mantle ; upper tail -coverts varying somewhat 

 in shade but paler and more ashy than mantle ; in those with white 

 heads whole under -parts are white (tinged yellow especially on 

 throat and breast but varying in depth) except for a tinge of grey 

 on flanks, those with grey heads have under -parts varying from 

 white tinged grey (darker on flanks) to pale grey ; axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts in white examples are white bordered dark 

 grey along edge of wing, grey-headed birds have axillaries and 

 under wing -coverts of varying shade of grey ; tail-feathers pale 

 grey, sometimes with whitish tips (narrower in dark birds than 

 light ones and lost in both in worn plumage), outer feathers often 

 whitish and occasionally with a longish ill-defined dark streak ; 

 wing -feathers with outer webs and tips dark grey, inner webs paler 

 and often white on inner edges and white on basal portions, tips of 

 feathers very narrowly margined whitish when fresh, shafts yellowish 

 white at base, darker at tips ; primary -coverts dark grey with 

 narrow whitish tips ; wing-coverts grey as long scapulars with 

 mixture of brownish in worn plumage. N.B. — Pure white examples 

 or white with only a tinge of grey here and there are sometimes met 

 with, but these are probably albinisms (one examined was noted to 



* British -breeding birds are mostly white on head and under-parts. 

 In the collections examined I have seen only three grey birds from St. Kilda 

 and a few others from localities where they do not breed. — H.F.W. 



