PETRELS.
_Petrels—Characteristics—Changes of Plumage—Fulmar Petrel—Fork-tailed
Petrel—Stormy Petrel—Manx Shearwater._
Of all sea-birds, the Petrels are the most pelagic. They are the birds
of the wide ocean, even showing small partiality for narrow seas, and
chiefly frequenting for breeding purposes only such spots as face the
widest expanses of water. They are the most marine of birds, yet they
form one of the least apparent features in the bird-life of the sea, and
more especially when that bird-life is studied from the coast. Their
crepuscular, or nocturnal, habits during their short visits to the land
to breed, their sombre hues, their low flight, just above the waves, all
combine in rendering these birds exceptionally difficult of observation.
The Petrels present such exclusively distinctive characters that many
systematists relegate them to an order by themselves. This order is
termed Tubinares, because the birds contained in it have the nostrils
tubular—a character which serves, at a glance, to distinguish a Petrel
from all other species. Other external characters are their hooked beak,
webbed feet, and long wings. More than a hundred species of Petrels are
known to science, which are dispersed throughout the seas and oceans of
the world. The young, as far as is known, are hatched covered with down,
but they remain in the nest until capable of flight. These birds moult
once in the year. None of the species are very remarkable for bright
colouration, although, in some, the colours—brown, black, gray, and
white—are strongly contrasted. Several species of Petrel wander
occasionally to the British seas, but only four species breed within our
area, and of these we now propose to treat.
FULMAR PETREL.
This Petrel, the _Fulmarus glacialis_ of ornithologists, is very like a
small gull in appearance, and is one of the largest representatives of
its family in the northern hemisphere. Although it abounds in various
parts of the British seas, and was said by Darwin to be the most
numerous bird in the world, so oceanic is it in its habits, that the
wanderer by the shore might not catch a glimpse of a single example
during the course of an entire year. Perhaps this Petrel is more
frequently observed off our eastern coasts than anywhere else, except in
the vicinity of its breeding place; it is often caught in the
flight-nets on the Wash, and is said to be a common frequenter of the
deep-sea fishing grounds in the North Sea. Occasionally storm-driven
birds may be met with close inshore. The Fulmar Petrel is one of the
most familiar birds of high latitudes, following in the wake of whaling
vessels and sealers, and known to the sailors by the name of “Molly
Mawk.” In its actions above the sea, the Fulmar very closely resembles a
Gull, beating about in the same dilatory manner, and searching for any
food chancing to float upon the surface, following in the wake of
vessels for miles to pick up the scraps thrown overboard. Its usual
food, however, appears to be cuttlefish and sorrel. It is also very
partial to whale blubber. It often alights upon the sea, either to rest
or sleep, or to eat its food; whilst its flight is not only powerful,
but capable of being sustained for long periods. When searching for
food, this bird flies close to the waves, every now and then gliding
along with wings nearly motionless, maintaining its speed with a few
vigorous beats from time to time.
The Fulmar Petrel becomes by far the most interesting at its breeding
stations. These, however, are isolated and few. In the British area
there is only one important nesting place of this species, and that is
at St. Kilda—a group of rocky turf-covered islets, that form an ideal
haunt for every species of Petrel that frequents the British seas, or
even a considerable portion of the North Atlantic. A fortnight’s sojourn
on St. Kilda has made me familiar with many of the Fulmar’s habits
during the breeding season. It is the bird of all others characteristic
of the place; one is reminded of its presence in many ways, but most
persistently by the strong smell emitted by this and all birds of the
Petrel family, and which scents everything and every person on the
islands. The Fulmar is extremely gregarious during the breeding season,
and many thousands of birds congregate here during the summer. It is
also exceedingly attached to its breeding places, visiting them season
by season, for time out of mind, and very probably pairs for life. At
St. Kilda, its favourite nesting places are on the downlike cliffs,
places where the soil is deep and loamy, and allows the bird to excavate
a hollow of varying depth. But there is not sufficient accommodation of
this kind for all, and great numbers have to resort to the ledges,
crevices, and hollows on the face of the beetling cliffs, or find a site
in some cranny amongst the rough piled-up masses of rock. Wherever
possible, the Fulmar evidently likes to burrow into the ground, but the
hole in most cases is not big enough to conceal the bird. These hollows
are lined with a little dry grass, but in many instances a nest of no
kind is made. Some of the nests I examined on the bare ledges of the
cliffs, were made of small bits of rock. Vast numbers of nests are made
close together, and from a distance the sitting birds—all blended
together—look like patches of snow. The Fulmar lays but a single egg
each season, white in colour, rough and chalky in texture, and with a
strong pungent smell, which is retained by the shell for years after the
egg has been taken. This egg is laid in May.
There are few more stirring sights in the bird world, than a colony of
Fulmars. Time can never efface the vivid scene that was presented to me,
as for the first time I peered over the mighty cliff Connacher, and
viewed the countless hosts of Fulmars at their nesting-places. Just
before the summit was reached, a few Fulmars could be seen flying above
the cliff, then dropping behind the ridge out of sight. When I got to
the top and looked over, the scene became grand, imposing,
indescribable. The suddenness of it all was well-nigh overpowering. One
moment, not a bird to be seen; the next, countless thousands of drifting
birds flying about in all directions along the face of the cliffs,
passing to and fro, backwards and forwards, like snow-flakes in a gentle
breeze, far as the eye could follow them! All the Fulmars drifted to and
fro in silence; not a single bird uttered a cry. No bird flies more
gracefully than this Petrel; it seems to float in the air without
effort, often passing to and fro for minutes together without
perceptibly moving its wings. They are remarkably tame and confiding
birds, flying past one at arm’s-length, the bright-black eye contrasting
strongly with the snowy plumage. When disturbed by the firing of a gun,
the Fulmars and other sea-birds leave the rocks in masses so dense, that
one is apt to think the entire face of the cliffs is crumbling away.
Large numbers of Fulmars are snared by the natives, and upwards of
20,000 young birds are killed every season at St. Kilda, which, after
the fat and oil are extracted from them, are salted and kept for food.
When caught, the Fulmar vomits a quantity of clear amber-coloured oil,
and a little flows from the nostrils. During the Fulmar harvest in
autumn, the birds, as they are taken, are made to vomit this oil into
dried gullets of the Gannet, which the fowler carries for the purpose
hung round his waist. This oil is valued as a sheep dressing, and is
said to be a sovereign remedy for rheumatism. The typical race of the
Fulmar is an inhabitant of the North Atlantic basin, ranging southwards
in winter as low as the latitude of New York in the west, and Gibraltar
in the east.
FORK-TAILED PETREL.
A year after this species was first described by Vieillot, under the
name of _Procellaria leucorhoa_, it was discovered at St. Kilda by
Bullock. This was early in the present century, but the islands, known
collectively by that name, still continue to be its most famous breeding
place in our area, or even in Europe. Three years after its discovery,
it was rechristened _P. leachi_ by the French naturalist Temminck, a
name which has found favour with many writers. The Fork-tailed Petrel is
known to breed on North Rona, and at some other spots in the Outer
Hebrides, as well as on the Blaskets off the coast of Kerry. There can
be little doubt that many other breeding stations of this Petrel remain
to be discovered. This species, readily distinguished from the Stormy
Petrel by its larger size and deeply-forked tail, is rarely seen near
the land unless during the breeding season, or when driven thence by
boisterous weather. I have known it to be caught in the flight-nets on
the mud-banks of the Wash; whilst it is of tolerably frequent occurrence
elsewhere off our eastern and southern coasts. In its habits generally
it very closely resembles its better known ally, the Stormy Petrel.
During the non-breeding season it wanders vast distances from land,
sleeping and resting on the sea when tired, following ships for miles,
fluttering along close to the ocean, now down into the trough of the
wave, anon skimming over the crest to half-fly, half-run, with patting
feet, down the smooth surface of the next. Except during the breeding
season this Petrel is not very gregarious; it may often be seen in
parties of perhaps half-a-dozen, scattered over a considerable surface
of water. The exact nature of the food of this species is apparently
unknown. It is said, in a vague and general way, to feed on crustaceans
and small molluscs, and the scraps of refuse cast from passing vessels,
but birds which I have dissected contained similar substances to those
found in the Fulmar—a nearly clear oil, mingled with the jaws of
cuttlefish, and scraps of sorrel.
The Fork-tailed Petrel resorts to its breeding stations to nest in June.
Although gregarious during this period, its colonies are never so large
as those of the Fulmar. Most probably the bird pairs for life, and
returns season by season to certain spots to rear its young. The largest
colony of this Petrel known to me is at St. Kilda. Here its principal
colony is located on the island of Soay, but there is another and
smaller one on Doon, and doubtless others on Borreay. At the colony on
Doon, the ground was full of long, winding burrows, probably disused
nesting holes of Puffins and Shearwaters, and in these the Fork-tailed
Petrels had made their nests—in some cases one earth accommodating
several pairs of birds. Usually the selected burrows are in the loamy
soil near the summit of the cliffs; but, in some cases, the birds will
select a hole, or crevice, in ruined masonry, or in rocks. At the end of
the burrow, or crevice, a scanty nest of dry grass is formed, but in
some cases no provision whatever is made. Here the female deposits a
single egg, white, with a zone of dust-like brown specks round the
larger end. These eggs are remarkably fragile, and very chalky in
texture. The Fork-tailed Petrel is a close sitter, remaining brooding
over its egg until dragged out. Many nests may be found within an area
of a few yards. This Petrel is not seen abroad much at its breeding
places during daylight; all day long the little birds skulk in their
burrows, but with the approach of night, they begin to sally forth from
their retreats and nests, and their fluttering forms may be seen
flitting to and fro in the deepening gloom, backwards and forwards, to
and from the sea. The Fork-tailed Petrel is not a very noisy bird. Those
that I dragged from their nests uttered a few squeaking notes; but at
night the species becomes more garrulous. But three breeding stations of
this Petrel are known—one in the North Pacific, another in the Bay of
Fundy, and the third within the British area. Its migrations are
limited.
STORMY PETREL.
This diminutive species, the _Procellaria pelagica_ of Linnæus and most
modern writers, and the “Mother Carey’s Chicken” of mariners, is,
perhaps, the best known of the Petrels that frequent the British seas.
It is remarkable for being the smallest web-footed bird—a nearly black
little creature, with a white patch on the upper tail coverts. Small as
this Petrel is, it is just as oceanic in its haunts as its larger and
more robust congeners. During boisterous weather, especially about the
period of the equinoctial gales in autumn, Stormy Petrels are not
unfrequently driven some distance inland; and examples of this species
have been picked up more or less exhausted, even in the centre of busy
towns. At this season it is also noticed a good deal about certain
lighthouses at night. After rough nights I have seen odd Stormy Petrels
flying over the fishermen’s cottages like swallows, and many of them
are, or used to be, caught in the flight-nets in the Wash. The actions
of this Petrel at sea are characteristic of its congeners. It flies
about in the same fluttering manner, following the curves of the waves,
and pattering along their sloping surfaces with its tiny-webbed feet. It
may be met with hundreds of miles from land, following ships, or paying
a vessel a short visit, then disappearing again, lost in the lonely
wastes of water. It is able to weather many a storm at sea, doubtless
obtaining much shelter in the deep hollows of the mighty waves. It may
be seen flitting about the storm-stirred sea quite at its ease; and from
this fact, it is very popularly believed to be a harbinger of bad
weather, and disliked accordingly by sailors. Except during the breeding
season, the Stormy Petrel rarely visits the land; it rests and sleeps
upon the sea, swimming just as buoyantly as a Duck. It is seldom seen to
alight, however, unless to pick up some morsel of food, and rarely
remains long upon the water. At its breeding stations it is certainly
very nocturnal in its habits, but otherwise it may be seen at all hours
of the day fluttering above the sea. Its food probably consists almost
entirely of cuttlefish; I have dissected many specimens of this Petrel,
and never found anything but oil mixed with sorrel in the stomach. When
taken in the hand the bird usually throws up a drop of this oil, or
squirts a little from the nostrils, just as the larger Fork-tailed
Petrel will do. I have never heard the Stormy Petrel utter a sound,
except at the breeding stations, where its note is a noisy twitter. It
is more or less gregarious at all times of the year, and generally roams
the sea in small scattered parties, but its gatherings are most
extensive at certain of its breeding stations.
It is a difficult matter to specify, with any degree of exactness, the
breeding stations of such a secretive species as the Stormy Petrel. It
may breed for years in a place, and the fact never become known. A
specially interesting instance of this has lately occurred within my own
experience. Lundy Island has long been thought to be the most easterly
breeding station of the Stormy Petrel in England, but all the time, for
aught we know to the contrary, it has regularly nested on the Big Rock
in Tor Bay, where, during last season (1895), a young bird was taken,
and is now preserved in the Torquay Natural History Society’s Museum.
The egg had been taken here several years ago, with the parent bird; the
latest nest owed its discovery to the acuteness of a dog, attracted by
the strong smell emitted by this Petrel. Here then was the Stormy Petrel
breeding actually within sight of my front windows, and I giving Lundy
Island and the Scilly Islands as its only nesting places in the
vicinity! I have seen this Petrel on the whiting grounds outside Tor
Bay, and Manx Shearwaters, too, during summer; but where they _breed_ is
another matter, so skulking and secretive are their movements near and
on the land. So far as is known, there is no breeding-place of the
Stormy Petrel on the entire eastern coast-line of England and Scotland.
The German Ocean is a land-locked sea, and it is more than probable the
Stormy Petrel breeds nowhere on its coasts; but that its nesting-places
extend far up the English Channel—much further east than Tor Bay—there
can be little doubt. There are many known breeding-places of this Petrel
from the Scilly Islands northwards, along the west coast of England,
Wales, and Scotland to the Shetlands, and many others round the coasts
of Ireland. The favourite breeding haunts of the Stormy Petrel are rocky
islands, rising in uneven turf-clad downs, strewn with masses of rock
and stones. The bird probably pairs for life, and is more or less
gregarious at its breeding-places. The slight nest of dry grass is
placed in an old rabbit earth or Puffin burrow, under a rock or heap of
loose stones, or in ruins, and amongst masonry. In some cases no nest
whatever is made. The single egg is laid normally in June. This is pure
white in ground colour, with a faint zone of minute dust-like red specks
round the larger end. Like all its kindred, the Stormy Petrel is a close
sitter, remaining in its hole until dragged out. It is also crepuscular
in its habits at its nesting-places, becoming lively at dusk, when it
may be seen flitting to and from the sea in a silent bat-like manner. So
far as is known, the breeding area of the Stormy Petrel is exclusively
confined to the islands and coasts of the East Atlantic.
MANX SHEARWATER.
The Shearwaters are a well-defined group of Petrels, numbering twenty or
more species, distinguished by their long, slender bill, long wings, and
short tails. As the Fulmars bear a superficial resemblance to the Gulls,
so may the Shearwaters be compared with the Auks. Four of these birds
are known to visit the British seas and coasts, but only one of them,
the Manx Shearwater, _Puffinus anglorum_, is known to breed within our
limits, and to occur in any abundance. The upper parts of this
Shearwater are black, the lower parts white. The Manx Shearwater is, so
far as is known, a resident in the British seas, and widely distributed
along our coasts during the season of reproduction. Like its allies, the
Petrels, this Shearwater is closely attached to the open sea, living for
the most part away from shore, and only frequenting land during its
nesting period. Its flight is much more erratic and rapid than that of
the small Petrels, or the Gull-like Fulmar, and reminds one more of the
Swift. It may be seen dashing impetuously along close above the waves,
this way and that, one moment high above the horizon, the next deep down
in the trough of the billows, pausing here and there for a moment with
rapid beating wings, legs let down, and feet striking the water, to pick
up some scrap of food. During the breeding season it is for the most
part nocturnal in its habits, but at other times it seems to be abroad
both by day and night. That it can swim well and buoyantly, I know from
abundant experience, but whether it _dives_, as some writers assert, I
am not prepared to say. Some Petrels, however, are habitually known to
do so, as, for instance, the species composing the genus _Halodroma_.
Shearwaters delight in a rough sea and a brewing storm, every bit as
much as the smaller Petrels; no weather seems too boisterous for them.
When on our rough night voyage to St. Kilda, we must have passed
hundreds of Shearwaters, holding high carnival above the gray waters,
flitting round our vessel in weird, erratic flight, like bird ghosts,
their gambols in the gloom being most interesting. So far as my
experience extends, the food of the Manx Shearwater consists entirely of
cuttle-fish and sorrel, but the bird will pick up various scraps thrown
from vessels. At St. Kilda this Shearwater is regarded as a delicacy.
The natives also obtain quantities of oil from it.
Throughout the summer the Manx Shearwater is nocturnal, and at the
approach of darkness becomes very garrulous. Its note may be expressed
as _kitty-coo-roo_, uttered two or three times in succession, and then a
pause. So far as I could determine, this note is never uttered by the
bird at sea, only when flying about its breeding station, or in or near
its burrow, and is only heard at night. At St. Kilda the island of Soay
is the grand breeding place of this Shearwater. The St. Kildans visit
this island at times during the breeding season, going at night,
knocking down the birds as they flutter about, and dragging others from
their nests. Four hundred Shearwaters are sometimes slain thus in a
single night.
The Manx Shearwater is a somewhat late breeder, its eggs being laid
towards the end of May, or during the first half of June. There are no
known breeding places of this bird along the eastern coast line of
Scotland and England; nor have any yet been discovered on the south
coast of England, although I am positive the species nests in the South
Hams of Devon. Its breeding area, so far as it is known, is almost
precisely the same as that of the Stormy Petrel. Its favourite
nesting-places are islands with a good ocean aspect, covered with turf
and soft, loamy soil. Although gregarious during this period, many
scattered pairs breed here and there along the coast. The bird probably
pairs for life, returning year by year to a favourite nesting-place. It
usually excavates a long and often winding burrow, making a slight nest
of dry grass at the end, on which is laid a single white egg. Both birds
assist in making this burrow, which often runs under some mass of rocks,
and many holes are begun and deserted for no apparent reason, just as we
find to be the case with the Sand Martin and other hole-boring species.
At the entrance of all of the holes that are occupied there is a
considerable heap of droppings. Few, if any, Shearwaters are astir even
at a populous breeding-station during the day; all keep closely to their
burrows, remaining stolidly upon their nest until dragged forth,
struggling, into the light. Many burrows are made close together, and in
some cases one main entrance will lead to several chambers, each
containing a nest.
_Littoral Land Birds_
[Illustration: THE CHOUGH. Chapter vii.]