348 
VERTEBEATA. 
1 
" Safe in the storm, unhurt by wave or wind, 
Or through the fearful tempest dost thou soar, 
The fleetest vessels leaving far behind, 
Unchecked amidst the elemental roar. 
" Alas ! how sure the hand that guides thy wing, 
How safe the rudder, instinct, shapes thy course; 
Ah ! how unlike things made by hands of clay — 
Thy piercing eyes, thy pinions' matchless force," 
Though the general history of this species is serious, one thing maybe mentioned which is other- 
wise. Their mode of selecting their mates, and also their courtship, is described as very ludi- 
crous. The couple approacJi one another with great apparent ceremony, bringing their beaks 
repeatedly together, swinging their heads, and contemplating each other with very deliberate at- 
tention. Sometimes this will continue for two hours together. 
Other species are the Short-tailed Albatross, D. brachyura, found in the Northern Paci- 
fic, and on the western coast of North America, figured by Cassin : the Sooty Albatross, D. 
fuliginosa^ and the Yellow-nosed Albatross, D. chlororhyncha. 
THE FULMAR PETREL. 
The Petrels consist of several genera. The genus PROCELLAPJA : Procellaria, includes the 
Fulmars, which are active and greedy birds, of large size, distributed throughout the northern 
portions of the Atlantic. They exist in almost incredible numbers on the rocky precipices of 
St. Kilda, where they form one of the principal means of support to the inhabitants. The col- 
lecting of the eggs, and the capturing of the birds in these wild and giddy heights, demand a de- 
gree of courage and daring perhaps beyond any other human pursuit. A person is very often 
swung over a precipice by a rope, and is let down two or three hundred feet, while the ocean 
roars and tumbles a thousand feet beneath him. The eggs and feathers of these birds are not the 
only objects of pursuit. When a Fulmar is seized, it instantly vomits a quantity of clear umber- 
colored oil, which, although its odor is exceedingly disagreeable, is a valuable article of commerce. 
Fulmer oil is, in fact, one of the most important productions of this island. Mr. J. Wilson, who 
visited the site of these scenes, gives the following vivid description : "While bearing toward the 
appointed place of rendezvous in the cutter, we enjoyed some splendid tacking ofl" and on the 
