THALASSIDRO

MA PELAGICA.

Storm-Petrel.

Procellaria pelagica, Linn. Faun. Suec., p. 50.

Fydrobates pelagica, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 562.
a Ferreensis, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl.

Thalassidroma pelagica, Vig.

 

» p- 803.
Zool. Journ., vol. ii. p. 405.
—_——— melitensis, Schemb. Cat. de] Gruppo di Malta, p. 118.

ee eee

THOSE persons, imbued with a taste for nature,

or made the more extended passage, wa the Cape of Good Hope, to India or Australia, or voyaged round our
globe, must have been delighted with the numerous oceanic bir i
as the ship had entered upon the blue water of the open sea. Petrels, in lieu of Gulls and Terns, are
certain to have been met with; perchance the present species, or some other member
lassidroma, a Fulmar, a Shearwater, or
out of the more

who have crossed the Atlantic from England to America

c >
ds which came under their notice as soon

of the genus Tha-
one of the many species of Albatros has attracted their attention
than fifty species of birds constituting the family Procellaride th
among which much diversity of size and structure is found to exist, the Albatros (Diomedea eaulans) being
the largest, and the little Storm-Petrel ( Thalassidroma pelagica) the smallest. Assuming that the great Albatros
usually weighs about fifteen pounds and the Storm-Petrel an ounce, the former is 240 times as heavy as the
latter. Petrels, of one kind or other, frequent every portion of the great waters, except those near the poles.
They are, almost without exception, truly dwellers on the surface of the mighty deep, seldom, if ever, coming
to land except for the purpose of incubation, and then only resorting to the rocky islands and headlands
nearest to their ocean homes. Some of the species, particularly the Albatroses, make huge nests near the
summits of precipitous mountains, such as occur at Tristan d’Acunha; but by far the greater number in-
cubate in the holes of rocks, under stones, or so deep down in the ground that without a knowledge of the
nocturnal habits of these birds the inhabitants of the neighbourhood, and certainly the casual visitor, would
not be aware that the ground on which they are treading conceals the sitting Petrel. In the evening, during
twilight, they sally forth from their holes and go out to sea for the purpose of procuring food for themselves

at are now known,

and their young ; as morning approaches, the passing to and fro ceases, and all is quiet again for the day.
The above remarks apply to the Procedlaride generally ; let me now say something about our little favourite,
the Storm-Petrel,—favourite, however, only with some; for superstition has induced the weak-minded
mariners to regard it with awe as the presager of storms, while the pretty bird they see fluttering round
the ship is simply engaged in searching for its natural food, or seeking the temporary shelter the lee side of
the vessel affords. When a fierce gale occurs, or a raging storm is at its height, the wing-powers of the
Petrel are strained to the utmost, and, during its flight, it performs many beautiful evolutions, which call forth
our admiration; at one moment the bird is under the lee of a great wave, at the next overtopping its crest,
and descending into the succeeding hollow, all the while scanning the sides of the billows for any Hoating
mollusk or other marine animal, which it takes from the surface, at the same time patting the water with its
little feet. Here, night and day, during the raging of the gale, the Petrel must keep on’ the wing and make
the best of it until a calm sets in, when the bird again assumes its light butterfly-like actions, or rests on the
id surface until hunger prompts it to resume its search for that food best adapted to maintain the mus-
site for the great exertion it is so often called upon to perform. ;
trel, if looked for, may be found in every part of the seas surrounding our
isited by Storm-Petrels in considerable numbers ; and so

plac
cular power requ!
At most seasons the Storm-Pe : :
ing hannel ts v

Boa dae of sa e Mr. C. Monfort informs me, ‘ they always appear off Worthing
about the end of April, and gradually become more abundant until the eee Mey ' Tho ea
are mostly males, very few females being among them. At the end of May - oe oar oe ie
the males always preponderate, a greater number of females are now to be seen than e .

A few remain till about the middle of June.
The range of this species of Petrel extends sout
the Mediterranean, the northern parts of Europe,

That it does not cross the line appears to be certain ; ied cte bela comelnere
, ‘ bserver recorded its being :

i o far as I am aware, has any 0 : ue :
. illy Islands to the extreme north of Scotland, Ireland, and the Hebrides, in almost every
a f Storm-Petrels breed; but, as before mentioned, the mere passer-by has no

rs O Z . 3 ieee
es To find them, the particular situations must be examined, and the evening
3}

true are they to the time of their

hwards as far as Madeira; the bird is also found all over
and in similar latitudes on the eastern coast of America.
for I did not meet with it in the seas to the southward

rugged promontory,
conception of their existence.