STORMY PETREL. 
389 
under the name of Stormy Petrels, formed several distinct 
species; consequently, relying on the labours of his prede- 
cessors, he did not hesitate to name the subject of this chapter 
the Pelagica , believing it to be identical with that of Europe. 
But the investigations of later ornithologists having resulted 
in the conviction that Europe possessed at least two species of 
these birds, it became a question whether or not those which 
are common on the coasts of the United States would form a 
third species ; and an inquiry has established the fact that the 
American Stormy Petrel, hitherto supposed to be the true 
Pelagica , is an entirely distinct species. For this discovery 
we are indebted to the labours of Mr Charles Bonaparte, from 
whose interesting paper on the subject, published in the 
Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 
we shall take the liberty of making an extract. The author 
of the paper in question first describes and figures the true 
Pelagica of the systems ; secondly, the Leachii , a species 
described by Temminck, and restricted to the vicinity of the 
island of St Kilda, but which the former found diffused over a 
great part of the Atlantic, east of the Banks of Newfoundland ; 
and thirdly, the species of our coasts. He also indicates a 
fourth, which inhabits the Pacific Ocean ; but whether or not 
this last be in reality a species different from those named, has 
not yet been determined. 
“ 6 When I first procured this species,’ says Mr Bonaparte, 
‘ I considered it a nondescript, and noted it as such ; the 
citation of Wilson’s Pelagica , among the synonyms of the 
true Pelagica , by the most eminent ornithologist of the age, 
M. Temminck, not permitting a doubt of their identity. But 
having an opportunity of inspecting the very individual from 
which Wilson took his figure, and drew up his description, I 
was undeceived, by proving the unity of my specimens with 
that of Wilson, and the discrepancy of these with that of 
Temminck. The latter had certainly never seen an individual 
from America, otherwise the difference between the two species 
would not have eluded the accurate eye of this naturalist. I 
