LEAST PETREL.
the fishermen are constantly passing over their heads (the beach under
which they breed being appropriated for the drying of fish), they are
then seldom heard, but toward night become extremely querulous ; and
when most other birds are gone to rest, issue forth in great numbers,
spreading themselves far over the surface of the sea. The fishermen
then meet them very numerously ; and though they have not previously
seen one, are sure to be surrounded by them upon throwing
pieces of fish overboard"
.The egg measures one inch and an eighth in length, six and a half
eighths in breadth, is nearly equally rounded at both ends, rather thickshelled,
and pure white, but generally with numerous minute dots of
dull red at the larger end, sometimes forming a circular band.
PROCELLARIA PELAGICA, Lirm. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 212.—Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. ii.
p. 826.
STORMY PETREL, Nuttall, Manual, vol. ii. p. 327«
Adult Malo. Plate •<•.!;<: XU Fig.,1.
Bill shorter than the head, slender, compressed towards the end*
straight, with the tips curved. Upper mandible with the nostrils
forming a tubi! at the ha.se, bgyond which, for a short space, the dorsal
linei |S nearly straight , then suddenly dccurvcil, the sides declinate, the
edges sharp, the tip compressed and acute. Lower mandible with the
angle rather long,; narrow, and pointed,, the dorsal line beyond it very
slightly concavo and decurved, the sides ercct, the edges sharp, the tip
slightly decurved.
Head of moderate,size, roundish, anteriorly narrowed, i^pjggfeishort.
Body rather slender. Feet of moderate length, very slender ; tibia
bare at its lower part; tarsus very slender, reticulate; hind toe extremely
minute, being reduced,; as it were, to a slightly dcourvod claw ;
anterior too« rather long and extremely, slender, obscurely scutellate
above, connected by striateli webs, with concave margins, (.'laws slender,
arched, compressed, acute,
Plumage very soft, blended, the feathers distinct, only on the wings,
which are very long and narrow ; primary quills, tapering, but rounded,
the second longest, the first three and a half twelfths, the third a twelfth
and a half' shorter ; sé&8ndaries; |hort, the enter incurved, obliquely
LEAST PETREL. 313
rounded. Tail rather long, broad, slightly rounded, of twelve broad
rounded feathers J t1 • fiii:'' J-'f-^nl'1^ iMTti • -'f^t '•*-Hr-' - :
Bill and feet, black. Iris dark brown. The general colour of the
upper: parts is greyish-black, with a tinge of brown, and moderately
glossed ; tho lower parts of a sooty brown ; the secondary coverts margined
externally with (lull greyish-white ; the featWis of the rump and
the upper tail-covert* white, with the shafts black, the tail-coverte
broadly tipped with black.
Length to end of tail 5f inches, Wend of claws 5J, to end of wings
6>; extent of wings 13}; wing from flexure ; tail 2 j ; bill above
% along tho edge of lower mandible.- f ; tarsus | ; middle toe and claw J ;
outer toe nearly equal; inner toe'land claw Weight 4* drachms;
the individual poor.
Adult Female. Plate CL'CXL. Fig. 2.
The Female resembles the nisle.
A male bird, from Nova Scotia,, examined. The upper mandible
internally has a longitudinal median ridge ; the palate is convex, with
two lateral ridges. The tongue is 5} twelfths long, emarginate, and
serrulate at-the base, very much flattened, tapering to a horny point.
The heart, Fig. 1, a, is of a very elongated narrow conical form, 2
twelfths in length, 4 twelfths in breadth at the base. The lobes of the
liver, S, <s, are equal, 6J twelfths long. The oesophagus, d, e, is 1 inch
10 twelfths long, of a uniform diameter of 2£ twelfths; behind the
liver, it enters as it were a large sac,/, g, h, 9 twelfths of an inch long,
which gradually expands to a diameter of 6 twelfths, forming a broad
rounded fundus ff, then curves forwards on the right side, and at h terminates
in a small gizzard, about 3 twelfths long, and nearly of the
same breadth, from the left side of which, comes off the intestine. The
latter passes forward, curving to the right, behind and in contact with
the posterior surfaces of the liver, then forms the duodenal fold, h, j, h,
in the usual manner.. The intestine, on arriving at the right lobe of
the liver, at k, receives;, the biliary duct, curv.es backward beneath the
kidneys, and forms several convolutions, which terminate above the
proven triculus., It then becomes much narrower, and passes directly
backward, in a straight course to the rectum, which is only 4 twelfths
of an inch long. The coeca are oblong, l i twelfth in length, and