PEOCELLARIN^. 
Prion  Lacep.* 
Bill  the  length  of  the  head,  very  broad  at  the  base,  depressed  above  ; culmen  nearly  straight,  laterally 
swollen,  but  gradually  conapressed  towards  the  tip,  which  is  arched,  elevated,  compressed,  and  acute  ; the 
lateral  margins  dilated  near  the  base,  with  a series  of  very  fine  laminge  running  along  the  whole  length 
internally  rather  above  the  margin:  the  lower  mandible  broad  at  the  base,  gradually  compressed  towards 
the  tip,  which  is  much  compressed,  with  the  margin  and  gonys  arched:  the  nostrils  basal,  tubular,  elevated 
above  the  culmen,  short,  opening  with  two  apertures  in  front.  Win^s  moderate,  pointed,  with  the  first 
quiU  nearly  equalling  the  second,  which  is  the  longest.  Tail  moderate,  broad,  and  rounded  at  the 
end.  Tarsi  shorter  than  the  middle  toe,  laterally  compressed,  and  covered  mth  small  scales.  The  outer 
Toe  nearly  as  long  as  the  middle,  and  the  hind  toe  nearly  in  the  form  of  a broad,  short,  pointed  claw. 
They  are  generally  observed  between  the  _35th  and  70th  degrees  of  south  latitude.  They  are  wild  and  solitary 
their  habits,  and  constantly  seen  on  the  wing,  with  an  extremely  rapid  flight,  though  sometimes  going  in  numeio  ^ 
flocks.  Their  nests  are  placed  in  society,  in  burrows  of  about  a yard  deep,  that  are  excavated  in  the  hill  sides,  a 
distance  even  of  half  a mile  from  the  sea  shore.  The  eggs  are  white,  elongated,  and  of  the  size  of  those  of  a pigeon- 
1.  P.  vittata  (Gmel.)  Forst.  Icon.  ined.  t.  8?.,  Kuhl,  Monogr.  I 2.  P.  Banhm  A.  Smith,  111.  S.  Afr.  Zool.  t.  55. 
t.  11.  f.  IS Pachyptila  Forsteri  Jard.  Selby,  111.  Orn.  t.  47.  | 
* Lace'pede  proposed  {Mem.  de  t Inst.  p.  514.)  this  generic  name  in  1800  or  1801,  which  llliger  changed  to  Pachyptila  in  181 1- 
June,  1844. 
