THE STORMY PETREL. 
878 
as soon as lie came to one which was tenanted the 
bird instantly answered, • “ kekerek-ee,” and repeated 
this answer as often as the boy called. Spades and 
crowbars were sent for to remove the stones: they 
worked, made no end of a noise, but still the bird 
remained quietly in its hole. At last Graba laid hold 
of the Petrel, who resented the insult by vomiting 
oil all over his captor, but did nothing more by way 
of defence,—neither bit nor scratched, but sat quietly 
on the open palm of the hand, without attempting even 
to fly away. 
The nest consists of a few fibrous roots laid together, 
and contains only one white egg, which is, comparatively 
speaking, a very large one for the size of the bird, 
being larger than that of the Turtle Dove. Graba never 
came across colonies consisting of many pairs, but 
always found one solitary nest in each place. According 
to his observations the male and female incubate by 
turns, but relieve one another very irregularly. With 
regard to the method of feeding and rearing the young he 
did not succeed in gathering any information from his 
researches. 
Nevertheless, we learn from him much that is very 
interesting about the conduct of a captured Petrel. 
Quick as these birds are in hiding from an enemy 
amongst the stones, yet they appear utterly helpless 
when once in his power. A Stormy Petrel, which Graba 
carried into his room, allowed itself to be taken in the 
hand without offering any resistance whatever, let him 
stroke it or drive it about just as he chose. When driven 
off it would trip a few steps with bowed legs, but always 
sat . down immediately it was let alone. Then it would 
squat, motionless, on its tarsi, brooding and sad, with 
