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See Saltpeter.

Of or pertaining to to rock. G. S. Faber.

numerous species of longwinged sea birds belonging to the family Procellaridæ. The small petrels, or Mother Carey's chickens, belong to Oceanites, Oceanodroma, Procellaria, and several allied genera. Diving petrel, any bird of the genus Pelecanoides. They chiefly inhabit the southern hemisphere. -- Fulmar petrel, Gia…

The process of changing into stone; petrification.

Petrifying; converting into stone; as, petrescent water. Boyle.

Potassium nitrate; niter, a white crystalline substance, KNO3, having a cooling saline taste, obtained by leaching from certain soils in which it is produced by the process of nitrification (see Nitrification, 2). It is a strong oxidizer, is the chief constituent of gunpowder, and is also used as an antiseptic in curin…

ed feet, as the grebe. In this order were included the geese, ducks, auks, divers, gulls, petrels, etc.

See Buffalo, 2. -- Cape jasmine, Cape jassamine. See Jasmine. -- Cape pigeon (Zoöl.), a petrel (Daptium Capense) common off the Cape of Good Hope. It is about the size of a pigeon. -- Cape wine, wine made in South Africa [Eng.] -- The Cape, the Cape of Good Hope, in the general sense of southern extremity of Africa.…

several species of sea birds, of the family procellariidæ, allied to the albatrosses and petrels. Among the well- known species are the arctic fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) (called also fulmar petrel, malduck, and mollemock), and the giant fulmar (Ossifraga gigantea).

ce paper, a transparent film of gelatin for copying or reproducing; papier glacé. -- Ice petrel (Zoöl.), a shearwater (Puffinus gelidus) of the Antarctic seas, abundant among floating ice. -- Ice pick, a sharp instrument for breaking ice into small pieces. -- Ice pilot, a pilot who has charge of a vessel where the c…

A group of longwinged sea birds, including the gulls, petrels, etc.

shearwater (Zoöl.), an oceanic bird (Puffinus anglorum, or P. puffinus), called also Manx petrel, Manx puffin. It was formerly abundant in the Isle of Man.

The stormy petrel. [Prov. Eng.]

Any one of several species of large pelagic petrels and fulmars, as Fulmarus glacialis, of the North Atlantic, and several species of Æstrelata, of the Southern Ocean. See Fulmar. [Written also mollymawk, malmock, mollemock, mallemocke, etc.]

ysteria. [Obs.] Shak. Mother Carey's chicken (Zoöl.), any one of several species of small petrels, as the stormy petrel (Procellaria pelagica), and Leach's petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), both of the Atlantic, and O. furcata of the North Pacific. -- Mother Carey's goose (Zoöl.), the giant fulmar of the Pacific. See Fu…

A loose woman; a prostitute. [Obs.] Mutton bird (Zoöl.), the Australian short-tailed petrel (Nectris brevicaudus). -- Mutton chop, a rib of mutton for broiling, with the end of the bone at the smaller part chopped off. -- Mutton fish (Zoöl.), the American eelpout. See Eelpout. -- Mutton fist, a big brawny fist or ha…

rmed in or about, or produced by, the ocean; frequenting the ocean, especially mid-ocean. Petrels are the most aërial and oceanic of birds. Darwin.

See Petrel.

One of a family of oceanic birds (Procellaridæ) including the petrels, fulmars, and shearwaters. They are often seen in great abundance in stormy weather.

Any bird which habitually frequents the sea, as an auk, gannet, gull, tern, or petrel; also, all such birds, collectively.