no. 3605 SEABIRDS — GILL 13 



grey or blackish birds at sea often appear brown against the blue of 

 the ocean. 



Pterodroma macroptera Great-winged Petrel 



Occasional individuals were seen in subantarctic waters, primarily 

 south of Amsterdam Island (see table 3). Two dark, fast-flying 

 petrels seen at 27°02' S, 55°49' E, on Mar. 12 may have been this 

 species though the proximity of the location to Reunion Island also 

 suggests the possibility of P. aterrima. 



Pterodroma incerta Schlegel's Petrel 



Three individuals seen at 34°34' S, 69°03' E, on Apr. 2 constitute my 

 only records of this species. Their flight consisted primarily of low 

 gliding over the water with only occasional flapping or swooping. 



Pterodroma m. mollis Soft-plumaged Petrel 



We saw this petrel commonly in subantarctic waters south of 31°31' S 

 and recorded the highest numbers (30) at our southernmost station 

 (see table 3). A petrel seen at 28°58 / S, 55°0S' E, on Mar. 6 was 

 probably this species. 



A single specimen was obtained at 40°04' S, 75 °00' E, on Apr. 4. 

 It was a male with small gonads and weighed 277.4 grams. The 

 bill was black, the hides brown, and the feet were flesh colored, 

 except for the outer toe and distal two-thirds of the web, which were 

 black. The stomach contained cephalopod beaks. The measure- 

 ments (in mm) were: wing 256.5; tail 115; culmen 28; tarsus 36; 

 middle toe 45. 



Pterodroma mollis is recognized easily by its small size, greyish- 

 brown upperparts, and dark chest band against the white underparts. 

 Its flight is fast and erratic with rapid swooping and swift, deep wing 

 strokes, reminding one of a small jaeger (Stercorarius) . Frequently it 

 flies very high and then dives to the surface of the ocean, appearing to 

 make "passes" at other birds. After dark (2100 hours) on Apr. 5, 

 I saw a soft-plumaged petrel (made visible by the deck lights) feeding; 

 it landed briefly on the water several times, picked up something 

 from the surface, and then flew a short distance before repeating 

 this procedure. 



Pterodroma (leucoptera) 



I saw a single, small, grey, black and white petrel on Mar. 13 at 

 24° 10' S, 56°24' E. Apparently it was a member of the South Pacific 

 Cookilaria complex though the possibility of P. hypoleuca could not 

 be eliminated with certainty. Patrick J. Gould, who is familiar 



