364 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



SHOWING TH^ GREAT EXPANSE) OF PETRELS WINGS 



tions, each one crying out in the same 

 notes and key. 



They swooped down on me and around 

 me, in one instance brushing my hat with 

 their wings. They all seemed to be 

 laboring under the greatest excitement, 

 so great was the confusion. The whole 

 island had come to life again; wherever 

 •one looked, wherever one went, the place 

 swarmed with petrel ; and they had it to 

 themselves, for all the gulls leave the 

 fields at night and roost on the rocks 

 near the sea. After some fifteen min- 

 utes another note was heard, and on fol- 

 lowing the direction from where it came, 

 I was led to one of the burrows, at the 

 entrance of which stood the bird that 

 had been on its nest all day, calling to its 

 mate among the hundreds flying around 

 in a most plaintive, sad little note. 



They seem to have absolutely no fear 

 of man — in fact, to ignore his pres- 

 ence — and will meet their mates almost 

 at one's feet. After watching them for 

 some time I returned to my tent, which 

 I had erected on a wooded knoll, where 

 I had not seen any of their burrows On 



arriving there, however, I was greatly 

 surprised to find as many petrels as I had 

 left behind, and it seemed as though they 

 came out of the ground in every direc- 

 tion like so many ants. 



Sleep was impossible, so great was the 

 noise they made; but it was a different 

 note from the one they uttered when ar- 

 riving — a constant twitter, ending in a 

 deep chirp, never ceasing for a moment. 

 During all this time the birds were fly- 

 ing about, truly the busiest, most active 

 little fellows I have ever seen. Just be- 

 fore dawn they suddenly stopped, and, 

 on looking out of my tent, I found they 

 were gone, every one of them, quicker 

 even than they had come, six hours be- 

 fore. Hardly had I returned to the tent 

 when the gulls awoke, and reigned su- 

 preme for another day. One might 

 almost be led to believe that the petrel 

 time their arrival and departure by the 

 hours during which the gulls are silent. 



I am inclined to believe that the female 

 bird usually sits on the nest, and that her 

 mate is the bird that is hunting far at 

 sea, returning at night to feed her, busy 



