Walter, Drie

eA MODAL OF MM EAMNELA MA =, CAA EL CEA EE”

 

PROCELLARIA GLACIALIS, inn.

Fulmar.

Procellaria glacialis, Linn. Faun. Suec., p. 51.

Fulmaris glacialis, Steph. Cont. of Shaw’s Gen. Zool., vol. xii
Procellaria hiemalis, Brehm, Vog. Deutschl., p. 800.
Rhantistes glacialis, Kaup, Natiirl. Syst., p. 105.

1. p. 234, pl. 27,

 

PENNANT remarks that no bird is of so much

use to the islanders of St. Kilda as the Fulmar Petrel ;
for it supplies oil for their lamps,

down for their beds, a delicacy for their tables, a balm for their
wounds, and a medicine for their distempers. Besides being

occasionally occurs all round the coasts of England, Scotland, and Ireland, as well as the seas of the Arctic
regions generally, especially those of Hudson’s Bay, Davis's Straits, and Baffin’s Bay. It is also to
be found in Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Spitsbergen, Greenland, and Norway,
coasts of Holland and France; and Audubon states
south as Long Island.

abundant in this great nursery, the Fulmar

and occasionally on the
that it extends along the eastern side of America as far
To me, the most interesting account of the bird and its habits, the manner of its
capture, and the uses to which it is applied by the St.-Kildians is that furnished by Mr. John Macgillivray
to his father, from actual inspection, in 1840, a part of which I take the liberty of transcribing.

“St. Kilda has long been noted as the only breeding-place in Britain of the Fulmar Petrel. It exists
there in almost incredible numbers, and to the natives is by far the most important of the productions of
the island. It forms one of the principal means of support to the inhabitants, who daily risk their lives in
its pursuit. The Fulmar breeds on the face of the highest precipices, and only on such as are furnished
with small grassy shelves, every spot on which, above a few inches in extent, is occupied by one or more
of its nests. The nest is formed of herbage, seldom bulky, generally a mere shallow excavation in the turf,
lined with dried grass and the withered tufts of the sea-pink, in which the bird deposits a single egg, of a
pure white when clean, which is seldom the case, and varying in size from 2 inches 7 lines to 3 inches 14
line in length, and 1 inch 11 lines to 2 inches in breadth. On the 30th of June (having partially descended
a nearly perpendicular precipice 600 feet in height, the whole face of which was covered with the nests ot
the Fulmar) I enjoyed an opportunity of observing the habits of this bird, which has fallen to the lot
of few of those who have described them as if from personal observation. The nests had all been robbed
about a month before by the natives, who esteem the egg of this species above all others—those of the
Auk, Guillemot, Kittiwake, and Puffin ranking next, and the Gannet, Scart, and Cormorant last of all.
Many of the nests contained each a young bird, a day or two old at nti ual covered with long
white down. ‘They were very clamorous on being handled, and vomited a quantity of ae oil, wth
which I sometimes observed the parent birds feeding them by disgorging it. The Palmar is stated, in
most works of ornithology, to possess the power of ejecting oil with much force through its tubular nostrils,
as a means of defence; but although I surprised several upon the nest, I never observed them to do
so. On being seized they instantly vomed a quantity of eleay amber-coloured oy which LS a
the whole bird, its nest and young, and even the very rock it frequents, a peculiar and very diaeies ‘
odour. Fulmar oil is amongst the most valuable productions of St. Kilda, zal is procured of ae :
different processes. The best is obtained from the old bird by surprising it at ment upon the — c are
i i i i ler he -ed the bird between his knees with the head downwards.
tightly closing the bill until the fowler has secure ‘Iintotthesdiedsulles
ar is allowed to disgorge about a table-spoonfull of the oil into the dried gulle

By opening the bill the Fulm These, when filled, are secured with

ac é se. used as a reservoir for that purpose.
| ae yss the interior of the buts until required for use. The oil thus procured
id hung on cords across the in oe
d . d, b sid upplying their lamps, is used by the inhabitants as a medicine, being sometimes °
and preserved, besides s ; ; ! : ae
id abl i in chronic rheumatism, and acting as a cathartic ; while, from its nauseous tast
MP  tawoold don ffectual emetic also to any but a St.-Kildian. In the beginning of
: 2 eye
ns dese PR “fe for the young Fulmars, which are then nearly fledged, and, by boiling
August the natives descend the rocks for the g unl ee
ish a lar tity of fat, which 1s skimt ‘ P
1 7eSS i to furnish a large quantity off,
with water, in proper vessels, are made ar ce
di = i Bic solfth form The old Fulmar is much esteemed as food by the = a !
count i f which they are immoderately fond.
i 1 é - covering of fat, a substance 0 j ;
cipally on account of its subcutaneous covering ; pie , ae
Tl F Imar flies with great buoyancy and considerable rapidity, and a a ie es -
a i 1 7 rve £
immi fi f the waves at a slight elevation, though I never obser ght on zi
WM oe from the hich I dissected had the stomach filled with pure oil, mixec
pick up any thing from the water. Several which Sone eck ae ney ee
: See ‘ble horny mandibles of some of the Sepiade, ; ee
We eiany | bird; for I seldom observed it at any distance from ot. a,
principal food. It is partially a nocturnal bire’;

a string,