PROCELLARIID.E — THE PETRELS — PUFFINUS. 



387 



Hab. Warmer parts of the Atlantic Ocean ; north, casually, to New Jersey ; accidental in 

 Europe. 



Sp. Chau. Adult : Above, uniform fuliginous-dusky ; lower parts, including lower half of the 

 lores, suborbital region, auriculars, sides of the neck, and under surface of the wing white, the 

 auricular region clouded with grayish dusky ; sides of the breast dusky grayish ; femorals and 

 outer webs of lateral lower tail-coverts (sometimes nearly whole crissum) fuliginous-dusky. " Bill 

 light blue, the tips black, mouth light blue ; edges of eyelids light blue, iris bluish black ; outside 



'*"M^p^^ 



^iS 



of tarsus and toes indigo-black, inside and webs pale-yellowish flesh-color, claws bluish black " 

 (Audubon). Dou-ny young: Side of head and neck, with throat and chin, naked, or with very 

 minute and scant downy flecks, these more conspicuous along the middle line of the throat. Rest 

 of the head, neck, and body covered with a smoky-gray down, this shorter and denser on the lower 

 parts, where paler or grayish white along the middle line ; looser and longer on the head and neck 

 above, and back. Bill and feet colored as in the adult. (Described from No. 80980, Saba, W. I. ; 

 F. A. Ober.) 



Total length, about 11.00 inches ; extent, 26.00 ; wing, 7 60-8.00 ; culmen, ]. 20-1.25 ; depth 

 of bill through base, .35 ; tarsus, 1.50-1.60 ; middle toe, 1.45-1.50. 



According to Dr. Finsch (1. c ), the Puffinus obscurus (Gmel.) is a Pacific Ocean species, dis- 

 tinguished by its white under tail-coverts, larger size, and by the white on the side of the head, 

 covering the loral and auricular regions. It is not unlikely that true P. obscurus occurs as an 

 accidental or occasional visitor, since Latham (" Sjaiop." III. pt. 2, p. 417) mentions a specimen 

 " in the Leverian Museum, said to have come from King George's Sound, on the American coast." 



The Dusky Shearwater is an Atlantic species, found on the eastern coast of the 

 United States from New Jersey to Florida. It also occurs among the West India 

 Islands, and breeds in the Bermudas and the Bahamas. It extends its wanderings 

 to the coast of Africa, and is said to breed in several of the groups of islands lying 

 west of that coast. The area over which it is distributed is probably large, although 

 not yet fully made out. 



Mr. Godman was informed by some of the inhabitants of the Island of Flores that 

 a bird which from the description given, he considers as undoubtedly belonging to 

 this species, visits that island, arriving early in March, and nesting in the holes in 

 the cliffs. These birds had reared their young, and had again left, before Mr. God- 

 man arrived ; and he was unable either to see them or to procure a specimen. The 

 inhabitants frequently tame and rear the young of this species ; and they are said to 

 afford great amusement from the grotesque manner in which they waddle about. In 

 a visit subsequently made by this gentleman to Madeira and the Canaries, he states 

 that he succeeded in identifying this species, and found it abundant all over that 

 group of islands ; and has no doubt that it breeds on the Desertas and on other 

 neighboring islands, as he saw it there in considerable numbers, though he failed 

 to procure examples. 



