FULMAR. 
155 
Seebohm has given a good account of the species, as 
follows : — • ■ ■ t. 1 ■ 1 tL 
“ No bird is more thoroughly oceanic in its habits than the 
Fulmar. It lives exclusively at sea, often at great distances 
from land, and only visits some isolated ocean rock to rear 
its young. It follows in the track of the whalers, even to the 
limit of open water, to feast upon the scraps of blubber and 
the oil floating on the sea. It is an almost constant attendant 
upon the deep-sea fishing-boats, to prey upon the offal that 
is cast overboard, and is often so eager in its search for food 
as to allow itself to be caught by the hand. I.arge pieces of 
food are eaten whilst the bird sits lightly on the water, ami 
tears them to pieces with its strong hook-shaped bill ; but 
small morsels are either eaten at once or carried off to some 
distance, where they can be quietly devoured. The food of 
the Fulmar is largely composed of molluscs, cuttle-fish, and 
any garbage that it may find floating on the water, especially 
such that is of an oily nature. It also eats large quantities 
of sorrel ; and the blubber of the whale is eagerly sought 
after. 
“ The Fulmar has great pow'er of wing. It flies in a very 
similar manner to a Gull, and is generally mistaken for one 
of those birds, which it also closely resembles in the colour 
of its plumage. Parties of ten to twenty birds may often be 
seen following in the w'ake of the Atlantic steamers to pick 
up any food that may be thrown overboard from time to tune. 
I'hey never seem to tire, but fly backwards and forwards, 
crossing and recrossing the ship’s stern, and often settling 
down one by one on the surface of the water to feed on any- 
thing eatable that they may descry floating on the waves. It 
a piece of meat be thrown to them they often seize it before 
it sinks, but instead of diving after it as a Duck or a 
Guillemot would do, they alight on the surface feet fiist, and 
in the most comical w'ay let themselves sink down in the 
water with uplifted w’ings. They are rather stupid birds, and 
do not see half the food thrown out to them, but their power 
of continued flight is very marvellous. They follow a steamer 
going fifteen mites an hour against a head-wind of still gi eater 
speed with such ease that only an occasional flap of their 
wings is observable, and when the stern is reached they wheel 
