. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Natural history; Sciences naturelles. mar Petrel. ales and other cetacdi, The length of the bird Hen.; SpSfios, a race.). ), the Stormy Petrel. name of Mother Carey's ho always considers the NATURAl, HISTOUY. 373 hird as the precursor of a storm. It is the smalest of the web-footed birds. Few storms are violent cncm^'h to keep this ciunous little bird from wandering over the waves in seiuch of the food that the disturbed water casts to the suifacc. Like the Fulmar, the Stormy Petrel is so exce ..'mgly ,nly in texture, that the inhabitants of the t
. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Natural history; Sciences naturelles. mar Petrel. ales and other cetacdi, The length of the bird Hen.; SpSfios, a race.). ), the Stormy Petrel. name of Mother Carey's ho always considers the NATURAl, HISTOUY. 373 hird as the precursor of a storm. It is the smalest of the web-footed birds. Few storms are violent cncm^'h to keep this ciunous little bird from wandering over the waves in seiuch of the food that the disturbed water casts to the suifacc. Like the Fulmar, the Stormy Petrel is so exce ..'mgly ,nly in texture, that the inhabitants of the teroe Islands draw a wick through its body and use it as a lamp. Wdsun gives the following account of its habits whde followuig a ship """TtTs indeed an interesting sight to observe these little birds in a gale, coursing over the waves, down the declivities, up the ascents of the foaming surf that threatens to bend over their heads ; sweeping along the hollow troughs of the sea, as in a sheltered valley, and again mounting with tlie rising just above its surface, occasionally dropping ; its feet, which, striking the water, throws it up again with additional force ; sometimes leaping with both legs pai-allel on the surface of the roughest waves for several yimls at a time. Meanwhile it continues coureing from side to sicle of the ship's wake, making excursions far and wide, to the right and to the left, now a gi-eat way ahead, and now shooting astern for several hundred yards, returning again to the shq) as if she were all the time stationary, though perhaps mnning at the rate of ten knots an hour ! But the most singular peculiarity of this bird is its faculty of standing and even running on the surface of the water, which it performs with appai-ent facility. When any greasy matter is thrown over- board, these birds instantly collect round it and facing to windward, with their long wings expanded and their webbed feet patting the water, the lightness of t
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