510 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ACADEMY OP [1896, 



Disregarding the cnemial projection or process, and measuring 

 the length of the bone from the summit to the lowermost point of the 

 outer condyle, we found that the tibio-tarsus of No. 3 has a length 

 of 6.7 cms,, while a similar measurement of the tibio-tarsus No. 11 

 is found to be 7.4 cms. In this latter specimen the cnemial process 

 has been broken off and lost. So great a distance as this leads me 

 to believe that this longer bone belonged to a different species of 

 Ptiffinus, and that the tarso-metatarsus, marked No. 10, probably 

 belonged to the same species. Indeed, I believe that the bones Nos. 

 10 and 11 belonged to the same individual, inasmuch as they articu- 

 late perfectly when brought together. 



So far as I have been able to discover, there have been but few 

 remains of fossil bones of the genus Puffinus described. Two of these 

 are to be found in M. Milne-Edwards's work (Oiseaux Fossil es de la 

 France, T. II), where, upon page 588, he says, " Le Puffinus conradi 

 provient du Miocene du Maryland ; ses dimensions se rapprochaient 

 de celles du Puffin cendre {Puffi)ma cinereus Gmelin), de la cote oc- 

 cidentale d'Amerique;" and again, on page 572, in speaking of 

 Puffinus arvernensis ( rare a Langy), be says, " Cette espece, ayant 

 ete decouverte depuis la publication du chapitre relatif aux oiseaux 

 fossiles de cette famille, sera decrite et figuree dans un travail sup- 

 piemen taire." Upon comparing the bones before me with the fig- 

 ures of the corresponding ones of Pvffimis cinereus as given us by 

 Milne-Edwards, I find that the latter species is very considerably 

 larger than were either of the former, so that bones Nos. 10 and 11 

 did not belong to a specimen of Ptiffinus conradi. In order to make 

 certain that M. Milne-Edwards had not described Puffinus arvern- 

 ensis, I wrote him concerning that species, and received the follow- 

 ing reply, accompanied by the drawings he mentions (Plate XXIV, 

 figs. 1 and 2), for both of which distinguished favors my most sincere 

 thanks are here tendered. 



Museum D'Histoire Naturelle, Direction, 



9 Juillet 1896. 

 Cher Monsieur : 



Je m' empresse de vous envoyer un dessin du tarso-metatarsien du 

 Puffinus arvernensis de St, Gerand le Puy. Je dois decrire cette 

 espece dans un supplement a mon Oiseaux fossiles mais yous pouvez 

 faire tel usage qui vous conviendrai du dessin etle publier si vous le 

 desirez; il est fait de grandeur naturelle. 



Croyez, cher Monsieur, a mon sentiments tres distingu^s. 



A. Milne-Edwards. 



