30 BULLETIN: MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 



nest of twigs and dead leaves. Only one egg is laid, and the male is said to 

 assist in incubation ; and the parent birds are very savage while on the nest, 

 biting and scratching those who molest them. The old birds roost on the 

 shore, and the noise they make during the whole night is described aa beino' 

 something absolutely frightful." i 



Pufl3.nus cuneatus Salvin. 



Wedge-tailed Shearwater. 



Puffinus cuneatus Anthony, Auk, XV. 1898, 38, 39 (Cape St. Lucas) ; XVII. 1900, 

 250-2-52, pi. 8 (Cape St. Lucas ; nesting habits on San Benedicto Island, with 

 figure of nesting site). 



This Shearwater, previously " known only from the Bonin Islands south of 

 Japan, Krnsenstern Island, and the Hawaiian Islands," was also added to the 

 fauna of Lower California by Mr. Anthony, who states that 



" About Cape St. Lucas, and between that point and the Revillagigedo Islands, 

 the Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Puffinus cuneatus) is found in abundance in May 

 and -Tune. It probably may occur at otlier seasons, but as I liave not visited tbe 

 region of the Cape during other seasons I can give no assurance of its doing so. 

 This species is of exceptional interest, as it belongs to a group of Shearwaters new 

 to tbe North American fauna, and of wbich little is known. I was so fortunate as 

 to discover a large colony nesting on San Benedicto Island, from which was ob- 

 tained a fine series of skins with all of the intergrades between the white-bellied 

 phase of 'cuneatus ' and the dusky form described by L. Stejneger from the Sand- 

 wich Islands as knudseni. 



" On first landing on San Benedicto, the first of May, I heard a low murmuring 

 noise which seemed to come from the opposite side of the island. Thinking it 

 might come from a rookery of seals, I started out to investigate, but soon found 

 tliat I was getting no nearer the source of the noise, which possessed a ventriloquial 

 power difficult to locate. I soon, however, found myself surrounded by large bur- 

 rows wliich fairly honeycombed tlie entire south end of the island, which was so 

 completely undermined that one constantly broke through into burrows, frequently 

 sinking to the hips in ground that had every appearance of being solid. . . . 



" From many of the holes came moans and sobs in soft low tones, inexpressively 

 sad and weird, — the love notes of Puffinus cuneatus. 



" A number of the burrows were opened, and from each were taken two birds, 

 which fought and bit most savagely on being dragged to the light. By far the 

 greater number were in dark plumage, but many showed lighter underparts, and 

 in some cases a perfectly typical ' cuneatus,' with pure white underparts, was found 

 in the same burrow with a dark ' knudspni.' 



" At this date the burrows were about four to five feet in length, most of them 

 running in a nearly horizontal direction along the sides of the steep narrow ravines 

 that everywhere cut this end of the island. 



1 Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, "Water Birds N. Amer., II. 1884, 392. 



