Gary a. Lang, age 10, of boise, ida.,, for his question:

Is there a bird called the petrel?

People who live far from the sea never get to see the petrel, for he is an ocean going bird. Sometimes a storm at sea lifts this graceful, little bird and blows him a few miles inland against his wishes. This often a sign that wild winds will soon sweep in from over the water, and, for this reason, the storm tossed bird is called the storm petrel.

The petrel bird is a stranger to most of the world's land areas. But he is no stranger to the seas. There are at least 57 different petrel birds, and they are to be found on arid over and even walking upon the waters of the oceans all over the world. They are named for Saint Peter, because, he, too, was able to walk upon the water.

You might mistake a petrel for a small, drably dressed cousin of the sea gull. Only one of them is as large as a sea gull, and this giant of the petrel clan has a wingspread. Of 20 inches. Many of his cousins are no bigger than robins and swallows.

Most of the petrels wear plumage of patched colors. Some have small areas of dull white, but most popular petrel colors are browns and grays. Theix long, curved bills are gray or black, or perhaps pink. Every petrel has a pair of large webbed feet, and, when tired of flying, he sits me a duck on the water and maybe uses his wide feet as paddles.

The famous water walking petrel uses his webbed feet to splash a path an the sea. He does not succeed too well, for he also beats his wings frantically, as though he fears he might sink. It is very amusing to watch the antics of a flock of these energetic water walking petrels.

The diving petrels are more graceful in their activities these amazing birds live south of the equator. They can fly straight through the crest of a high wave

Or plummet down into the sea and fly underwater. Some people say that they can emerge from a dive and sweep up into flight, all in one swift motion.

Petrels may spend six months or more at sea. But, at nesting time, they fly in flocks to deserted shores and lonely islands. Many of them nest near antarctica. Each mother bird lays one egg, and the parents take turns tending it and feeding the young petrel. Junior is a fat and fuzzy little fellow and rather pampered. But after three months, he is ready to leave his nursery and join his ocean going relatives.

Though petrels are safe at home on the ocean, they are not well suited for life on the land. Their legs are thin, an. They must often beat their wings to help them scramble aver the ground. Their lonely nesting grounds must be free from prowling cats and rats, or the parent petrels and their precious babies would soon perish.