XIII 
ORNITHOLOGY 
3°9 
should then see a case which must inevitably have happened 
with very many animals. 
These southern seas are frequented by several species of 
Petrels : the largest kind, Procellaria gigantea, or nelly (que- 
brantahuesos, or break-bones, of the Spaniards), is a common 
bird, both in the inland channels and on the open sea. In its 
habits and manner of flight there is a very close resemblance 
with the albatross ; and as with the albatross, a person may 
watch it for hours together without seeing on what it feeds. 
The “ break -bones ” is, however, a rapacious bird, for it was 
observed by some of the officers at Port St. Antonio chasing a 
diver, which tried to escape by diving and flying, but was con¬ 
tinually struck down, and at last killed by a blow on its head. 
At Port St. Julian these great petrels were seen killing and 
devouring young gulls. A second species (Puffinus cinereus), 
which is common to Europe, Cape Horn, and the coast of Peru, 
is of a much smaller size than the P. gigantea, but, like it, of 
a dirty black colour. It generally frequents the inland sounds 
in very large flocks : I do not think I ever saw so many birds of 
any other sort together, as I once saw of these behind the island 
of Chiloe. Hundreds of thousands flew in an irregular line 
for several hours in one direction. When part of the flock 
settled on the water the surface was blackened, and a noise 
proceeded from them as of human beings talking in the 
distance. 
There are several other species of petrels, but I will only 
mention one other kind, the Pelacanoides Berardi, which offers 
an example of those extraordinary cases, of a bird evidently 
belonging to one well-marked family, yet both in its habits 
and structure allied to a very distinct tribe. This bird never 
leaves the quiet inland sounds. When disturbed it dives to a 
distance, and on coming to the surface, with the same move¬ 
ment takes flight. After flying by the rapid movement of its 
short wings for a space in a straight line, it drops, as if struck 
dead, and dives again. The form of its beak and nostrils, 
length of foot, and even the colouring of its plumage, show 
that this bird is a petrel : on the other hand, its short wings 
and consequent little power of flight, its form of body and 
shape of tail, the absence of a hind toe to its foot, its habit of 
living, and its choice of situation, make it at first doubtful 
