PET 
nsus. This fnell has five fpires : the firft is 
ventricofe; in younger fubjefts, fpirally ftriated ; 
in old ones, fmooth, and of a dufl<y colour. 
Periwinkles abound on moft rocks, far above 
low-water markj and are commonly eaten by 
the poor. The peafants in Sweden entertain a be- 
lief, that when thefe fhells creep high up the rocks, 
thev indicate a ftorm from the fouthern quarter. 
PEROQUETTE. A fmall kind of the pfit- 
tacus or parrot tribe, with a long tall. See 
Parroquet. 
PERSICA CONCHA. A name by which 
conchologifts exprefs a very fingular and beauti- 
ful fliell, of the concha globofa or dolium genus. 
Aldrovandus feems at alofs to refer it to any par- 
ticular clafs ; but fays it would be of the turbi- 
nated kind, if it was not deftitute of the turba. 
PESCE VACCA. An appellation given by 
Autjuftino Scilla to a kind of dog-fifh. 
PETIMBUARA. An American fifh, called 
alfo the tobacco-pipe fifh: a name more fre- 
quently ufed for the acus Ariftotelis. 
This fiPn grows to the length of three or four 
feet: the body is long, flender, and anguilliform ; 
the mouth is deftitute of teeth; the upper jaw 
is fhorter than the lower; and the eyes are re- 
markably large. The fl-iin is fmooth like that 
of an eel, of a liver colour on the back and 
fides, with feveral rows of blue fpots difpofed in 
three ranks on the back ; there are alfo fome 
green fpots interfperfed with the blue ones ; and 
the belly is flat, and of a whitifh caft, inclining 
to brownifh red. The flefh is much efteemed. 
PETOLA. A fpecies of coluber; the fcuta 
of whofe abdomen are tv/o hundred and nine, 
and the fquamjE of the tail ninety. 
PETREL. A bird of the gull or larus kind; 
the diftinguiiliing charafters of which are: that 
the bill is ftraight, and hooked at the extremity ; 
that the noftrils are cylindric and tubular; that 
the legs are naked above the knees ; and that a 
lharp fpur, pointing downwards, fupplies the 
place of the back toe. 
Petrel, Common; the Procellaria Cinerea of 
Briffon. This fpecies, v/hich is alfo called the 
fulm.ar, inhabits the ifle of St. Kilda, one of the 
Hebrides, where it continues during the whole 
year, except the months of September and No- 
vember. It lays a very large, white, and brittle 
egg ; and the young are hatched about the mid- 
dle of June. 
The Common Petrel is fomewhat larger than 
the comm.on gull : the bill is very ftrong, much 
hooked, and yellow; the noftrils are compofed 
of two large tubes, lodged in one fheath ; the 
head, neck, whole under-fide of the body, and 
the tail, are white; the back and coverts of the 
Wings are cinereous ; the quill-feathers are dufky ; 
.and the legs are yellowifli. 
Thefe birds feed on the blubber or fat of 
?>vhales, and other fimllar fubftances ; which being 
foon convertible into oil, fupplies them conftantly 
with means of defence, as v/ell as provifion for 
their young, which they caft up into their mouths. 
The whole genus of Petrels have a peculiar 
faculty of fpouting from their bills, to a confi- 
derable diftance, a large quantity of pure oil : 
this they difcharge on the firft appearance of an, 
enemy; fo that the natives, who efteem this fub- 
ftance as peculiarly beneficial in medicine, gene- 
rally feize them by furprize. 
Petrel, Manks^ the Procellaria Puffinus of 
PET 
LInnasus. This fpecies is about fifteen inches 
in length; and the expanfion of the wings is 
thirty-one inches. The bill is one inch and three 
quarters long; the head, the whole upper part 
of the body, the wings, the tail, and the thighs^ 
are of a dull black colour; the under-fide, from 
the chin to the tail, and the inner coverts of the 
wings, are white; and the legs, which are weak, 
and comprefi^cd laterally, are dufky behind, and. 
whitifti before. 
This bird, which is a native of the Calf of 
Man, and feveral of the Britifh ifles, lays a fingle 
egg, of a white colour, and blunt at each end. 
The young are fit to be taken about the be- 
ginning of Auguft, vv^hen great numbers are 
killed, faked, and barrelled; and when boiled^ 
commonly eaten with potatoes. During the day, 
the old ones keep at fea, being engaged in 
fifhing; but, towards night, they return to 
their young, whom they feed by difcharging the 
contents of their ftomachs into their mouths. 
They quit the Ifle of Man about the beginning 
of September; and, according to the moft recent 
accounts, it feem.s probable that they are difperfed 
over the whole Atlantic Ocean. 
This bird likewife inhabits the Orkneys, where 
it is known by the appellation of the lyre. It 
forms it's neft in fome hole near the fhelves of 
rocks, and head-lands; and is much efteemed, 
both on account of it's flefli and plumage. 
Petrel, Stormv; the Procellaria Pelagica of 
Linnaeus, This Ipecies is about the fize of the 
houfe-fvvallow. The whole body is black, ex- 
cept the coverts of the tail and the vent-feathers, 
which are white. It pofl^eflTes the fame faculty of 
fpouting oil from it's bill as the other fpecies | 
and, if we may credit Mr. Brunnich, the inhabi- 
tants of the Ferroe Iflands make this bird anfwer 
the purpofe of a candle, by drawing a wick 
through it's mouth and riimp ; which being light- 
ed, the flame is fed by the fat and oil of it's bodv. 
_ Except during the feafon of incubation, thefe 
birds are continually at fea; and are difperfed 
over the vaft- Atlantic Ocean, at the greateft dif- 
tance from land, often following vefiels in vaft 
flocks, in expectation of picking up any thing 
that may chance to fall overboard. Their ap- 
pearance is generally deemed a prefage of ftormy 
weather, particularly when they try to flielte? 
themfelves under the fterns of flfips. However,, 
they brave the utmioft fury of the ftorm; fome- 
times Ikimming with incredible velocity along 
the hollows of the waves, and fometimes on their 
fummits. 
Thefe animals are the Cypfelji of Pliny, which 
he places among the Apodes of Ariftotle; not 
becaufe they want feet, but becaufe, by keeping 
always on the wing, they have little ufe for theni^ 
They breed in the Hebrides, and fome other 
places. 
Petrel, Great Black ; the Procellaria j5!qui- 
noxialis of Linnjeus. Tliis fpecies is about the 
fize of a raven: the bill is yellow, and pretty 
much hooked at the point; the plumage of the 
whole body is of a dull black colour; and the 
legs and feet are alfo blacky inclining to flel]i-. 
colour. 
Edwards, who firft defcribed this bird, flip- 
pofes it to be a native of the African feas bor- 
dering on the Cape of Good Hope, 
Petrel, White and Black, Spotted ; the 
Procellaria Capenfis of Linn^us, Thisbird^whicli 
