THE STORM PETREL. 
3G‘J 
The single egg is deposited upon a few pieces of dry grass, 
heather, or dead plants, often intermingled with scraps of dried 
mud; it is very rarely laid uj^ion the hare ground. I once found 
two eggs in one nest, hut, fortunately for my peace of mind, 
there was a bird upon each. The egg varies greatly in size, 
though very little in form. The colouring also is somewhat 
remarkable. I. have specimens perfectly white, others with 
an almost imperceptible ring of faint red spots at one end, and 
others, again, with the ring exceedingly well marked. I have 
sometimes fancied that incubation has the effect of obliterating 
these marks more or less ; but it is very certain that fresh eggs 
are often perfectly white, without the faintest appearance of a 
ring. A very short time should be allowed to elapse before 
the eggs are blown, for they very soon spoil. The same remark 
applies to the eggs of the Arctic Skua, but I am utterly unable 
to account for the fact. The young are at first covered with a 
beautiful and exquisitely soft greyish black down. The parent 
bird sits closely to the egg, and when taken in the hand 
immediately throws up several drops of clear oil. 
[The Storm Petrel contrasts remarkably with its near ally 
the Manx Shearwater, so closely resembling it in other habits, 
by the unconcern with which it will allow its haunts to be 
visited and disturbed. I have pushed aside Petrels with my 
finger after gently rolling back the stone which concealed 
them, and have seen them settle down again before the stone 
could be replaced. One day — it was the last of July, on the 
occasion of a bright picnic party which some Shetland friends 
had been pleased to arrange for the enjoyment of their visitors, 
— a tall English cart-horse had been kindly sent across the island 
for my behoof, as a national compliment, and I had had to ride it 
instead of a charming native pony — we took boat for some little- 
visited islets a few furlongs from the shore, on the west coast of 
Unst, and came upon a colony of Petrels just barely hidden 
from sight, detecting them of course by the musky smell. In 
one instance there was a young bird, apparently but a day or 
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