LIFE HISTORIES OF NOETH AMERICAN PETBELS AND PELICANS. 77 



PUFFINUS ASSIMILIS GODMANI Allen. 

 ATLANTIC ALLIED SHEARWATER. 



HABITS. 



The above name represents our present knowledge of this group 

 of small shearwaters, about which there has been much misunder- 

 standing and confusion. A specimen was taken on Sable Island, 

 Nova Scotia, on September 1, 1896, and sent to Dr. Jonathan 

 Dwight, who identified it as this species, which at that time was 

 knoAvn to inhabit Australian and New Zealand seas and the Atlan- 

 tic Ocean, as far north as the Madeira Islands. Since that time, 

 however, European Avriters have recognized the birds of the North 

 Atlantic as at least subspecilically distinct. Godman (1907) called 

 it Puffinus hailloni, evidently considering it a distinct species, and 

 gave quite a full account of its status. A still later account by Dr. 

 E. Hartert ^ goes into the matter still further, using the name Puffinus 

 asdmilis godmani. Bather than discuss the matter here, I would 

 refer the reader to these two publications. In compiling the life 

 history it seems best to add to what has been published about 

 the Maderian bird, which, of course, is the one that belongs in the 

 American list, anything published about the bird of the southern 

 hemisphere which will make the life historj^ more complete. It is 

 scanty enough at best. 



Nesting. — Mr. David A. Bannerman (1914), under the name 

 Puffinus assimilis haroU, says of its breeding habits in the Canary 

 Islands : 



The little dusky shearwater, concerning which so much discussion has 

 recently taken place, was found breeding on Montana Clara. I had certainly 

 not expected to meet with this usually very early breeder in any of the islands 

 so late as June the 7th. The fact that I actually took eggs as well as the young 

 in all stages, shows that there is great variation in the time of breeding of this 

 species in the different islands of the group. It will be recollected that if the 

 fishermen are to be believed, and' I have often proved their statements to be 

 correct, P. a. haroli had already bred and left the island of Graciosa by the 

 27th of May. Mr. Meade-Waldo took the young of this species in Teneriffe on 

 April the 26th, and an adult on March the 16th with the bare hatching spot on 

 its breast. 



Shortly before our arrival a party from Haria had specially made the jour- 

 ney to Montana Clara to collect " tahoces," as P. a. haroli are locally called. 

 Whether these individuals had succeeded in making a good haul I did not 

 learn, but the only breeding-station which existed contained a very small num- 

 ber of birds. To reach this colony it was necessary first to ascend the moun- 

 tain and having crossed the plateau, which lies at the summit, to descend the 

 almost perpendicular inner wall of the crater of the floor beneath. In this 

 basin, one .side of which lies open to the sea, the little dusky shearwaters were 



1 British Birds, vol. 8, 1915, pp. 282-283. 



