86. Fulmarus glacialis. 19 in.
Bill short and stout, compared to that of the [shearwaters], strongly hooked at the tip and with the nostrils opening out of a single tube, prominently located on the top of the bill. They have two color phases, the light one being gull-like, but the tail is gray like the mantle; eyes brown; bill and feet yellowish. In the dark phase they are uniformly gray above and below. These plumages appear to be independent of sex or age. They are extremely abundant at some of their breeding grounds in the far north. The birds are constant companions of the whalers, and feed largely upon blubber that is thrown overboard.
Nest.—Their single white eggs are laid upon bare ledges of sea cliffs (2.90 × 2.00).
Range.—Breeds in the North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans from Labrador and northern Scotland northward; winters south regularly.
CORY SHEARWATER
88. Puffinus borealis. 21 in.
This rare bird is found off the coast of New England and in Long Island Sound from July to September. It is slightly larger than the similar [Greater Shearwater], the back and head are lighter in color, the entire underparts are white, and the bill is yellowish. Its nesting habits and eggs are unknown, but they are supposed to breed in the Antarctic regions.
The majority of specimens that have been taken have been found off Chatham, Mass.