LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN PETRELS AND PELICANS. 85 



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 nest must have 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. 



Eggs. — Of the eggs, Mr. Anthony (1898a) says: 



A single egg was found addled, and is now in the U. S. National Museum. 

 It is pure white like the eggs of the other species of the genus that I have seen. 



The egg referred to above was collected on San Benedict© Island, 

 on April 30, 1897, and is, so far as I know, the only egg in existence. 

 It is ovate in shape, slightly elongated, and is pure white in color. 

 The shell is smooth and only slightly glossy. It measures 57.3 by 

 40.4 millimeters. 



Young. — I have examined a specimen of the downy young, taken 

 on San Benedicto Island on May 1, 1897, now in the collection of the 

 Carnegie Museum (No. 21943) ; it is covered with long, soft, silky 

 down on the upper parts, varying in color from "light drab" to "ecru 

 drab," and with shorter, white down on the belly. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeditig range. — Known to breed only on the Revillagigedo 

 Islands (Clarion and San Benedicto Islands) off the west coast of 

 Mexico. 



Range. — Does not wander far from its breeding grounds. North 

 to Cape San Lucas and south to Clipperton Island. 



Egg dates. — San Benedicto Island : One record, Aj^ril 30. 



PUFFINUS GRISEUS (Gmelin). 



SOOTY SHEARWATER. 



HABITS. 



The ocean wanderers from Antarctic seas that spend their winters 

 during our summer months off our coasts are better known to fisher- 

 men than to ornithologists, who have long remained in ignorance of 

 the habits of the living birds. Their breeding habits have been a 

 mystery and for many years they were supposed to breed far north 

 and to be found off our coasts only in winter. Mr. Leverett M. Loomis, 

 who has made extensive studies of the migrating water birds off the 

 coast of California, has made some valuable additions to our knowl- 

 edge of these birds and their movements. The results of his observa- 

 tions as applied to the sooty shearwater are summed up in the follow- 

 ing well-chosen words of Mrs. Florence Merriam Bailey (1902) : 



The shearwaters taken at Monterey in May were in worn, molting plumage, 

 common with birds just after the breeding season; while their sexual organs 

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