BREWSTER: BIRDS OF THE CAPE REGION, LOWER CALIFORNIA. 29 



Mr. Anthony, who has given us the following brief but definite account of its 

 breeding habits : — 



"About Cape St. Lucas Townsend's Shearwater (Ptijfintis auricuJm-is) is rather 

 common, and though perfectly distinct specifically it is quite closely related to P. 

 opisthomeliis and has a similar breeding season. On San Benedicto Island I found a 

 few nesting the last week in May. At this date most of the young were but a few 

 days old, covered with sooty down above, and paler-grayish below. With tlie 

 smaller young I often found one of the parents, but they were as frequently alone. 

 The burrows were all confined to the higher parts of the island — about 500 

 feet above the sea, where they were dug among the bunches of thick, tangled 

 grass, and were well scattered, a dozen or so being a large colony. The burrows 

 were not so deep or long as were those of P. opisthomelas on Natividad, averaging 

 ahout five feet in length. On Clarion Island this species was again found in a similar 

 location, all of the burrows being confined to a thick growth of grass, on the high 

 parts of the island. 



" The Clarion colonies were more extensive, each suitable patch of grass being 

 well populated. Few birds were seen at sea during the daytime and at night, those 

 that visited the nests must liave been much more silent than is the Black-vented 

 Shearwater, in the vicinity of its colonies, for I do not remember hearing any notes 

 that I could attribute to P. auricularis though one or two of those that were dragged 

 from their nests gave vent to their displeasure in notes similar to those of 

 P. opisthomelas." 



Puffinus griseus (Gmel.). 

 Dark-bowed Shearwater. 



Xectris ammtrosoma Coues, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1864, 124, 125 (orig. descr. ; 



type from Cape St. Lucas ; crit.). 

 N.[ectris] amaurosoma Coues, Loc. ct't., 14.3 (descr.). 

 Puffinus griseits Kidgway, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., V. 1883, 534, footnote (Cape St. 



Lucas). Bryant, Proc. Calif Acad. Sci., 2d ser., II. 1889, 252 (Cape St. 



Lucas). 



The specimen 1 obtained by Mr. Xantus at Cape St. Lucas on August 18, 

 1860, remains the only example known to have been taken in the waters of the 

 Cape Region, where, however, the bird must occur commonly, at least during 

 migration, for Mr. Loomis has ascertained ^ that it is a regular and at times 

 abundant visitor to the coast of California in the neighborhood of Monterey, 

 from June to December. 



It is believed to breed only in the Southern Hemisphere, where in the neigh- 

 borhood of Stewart's Island and along the adjacent coast of New Zealand " it 

 burrows in peaty ground a horizontal hole, from three to four feet deep, and 

 turning slightly to the right or left. At the end of this hole it forms a rude 



1 Type of Nectris amaurosoma Coues. 



2 Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 2d ser., V. 1895, 217 ; VL 1896, 27, 28 ; 3d ser., IL 

 1900, 320. 



