Jan. 1835. ornithology. 355 



tance. At this time the water was in parts coloured by 

 clouds of small Crustacea. At Port Famine^ every morning 

 and evenings a long band of these birds continued to fly^ with 

 extreme rapidity^ up and down the central parts of the 

 channel. I opened the stomach of one (which I shot with 

 some difficulty, for they were rather wary), and it contained a 

 small fish, and seven good-sized, prawn-like crabs. 



There are several other species of petrels, but I will only 

 mention one other kind, the Puffinuria Berardii, which 

 offers one more example of those extraordinary cases, of 

 a bird evidently belonging to one well-marked family, yet 

 both in its habits and structure allied to a very distinct 

 tribe. This bird never leaves the quiet inland sounds. When 

 disturbed it dives to a distance, and on coming to the sur- 

 face, with the same movement takes wing. After flying for 

 a space in a direct course, by the rapid movement of its 

 short wings, it drops, as if struck dead, and dives again. 

 The form of the beak and nostrils, length of foot, and even 

 colouring of the plumage, show that this bird is a petrel: 

 at the same time, its short wings and consequent little power 

 of flight, its form of body and shape of tail, its habits of 

 diving, and the absence of a hind toe to its foot, and its 

 choice of situation, make it doubtful whether its relationship 

 is not equally close with the auks as with the petrels. It 

 would undoubtedly be mistaken for one of the former, when 

 seen either on the wing, or when diving and quietly swim- 

 ming about the retired channels of Tierra del Fuego. 



2 A. 2 



