1895. 



I'BOCEEDINGS OF THE XATfOX.lL MUSEUM. 



511 



Family PROCELLARriD.l-:. 



7. PUFFINUS TENEBROSUS, Pelzeln f 



I'liffiiinx tciichrosiin, Pklzei.X, Ibis, 1873, 47 (King George's Souiul ; \ieiiiia Imp. 

 Mns. ). 



Three si)eciineu8; lie Cousin, May 7. 



8pe, ific characters. — Similar to P.auduhoni, Fiiiscli,' but smaller (wing 

 sliglitly shorter, other measurements, exce])t leugtli of nasal tube, very 

 nmch less), tail much less graduated, and under tail-coverts more exten- 

 sively dusliy ; notracie of whitish spot over anterior angle of eye; lores 

 and ear-coverts almost wholly dusky ; outer side of tarsus almost wholly 

 dusky (nearly the lower half quite black), and outer side of middle toe 

 also chiefly dusky; anterior margin of webs dusky. 



I refer this bird, which is obviously distinct from P. ai(di(hoiii, though 

 nearly related, to Pelzeln's i'. towbrosiLs Avitli mucli doubt. The Litter, 

 according to the original description, lacks the dusky anterior margin 

 to the webs, and there are certain other discrepancies; but unless it is 

 P. tenehroHUs^ 1 do not know what to call it. 



According to Fiusch,- 1\ ohscxru.s ((jrineliu) "maybe distinguished at 

 once l)y the uniform pare white under tail coverts," while the present 

 bird has these feathers even more extensively dusky, as well as rather 

 darker in color than in P. auduhoni. It seems, however, that Mr. Sal 

 vin differently interi>rets or identifies P. obficurus, since, in making 

 comparison between difi'erent specimens of what he calls that species, 

 he mentions,-' as excejitional, a specimen from Samoa, in which "the 

 crissum is white in the middle to its extremity, the sides alone being- 

 dusky," while in another Samoan bird "the central feathers of the cris- 

 sum are dusky, ti[)ped with white." 



Possibly the present bird may be P. ohscurus, according to Mr. Sal- 

 via's view as to what constitutes that species; but, lacking specimens 

 for coini)arison, 1 can not make a satisfactory determination of the 



question. 



Measurements * of Puffimis tenebrosns C^) front the Seychelles. 



' The measuroments in this table are in inches. 



^ PufiHus auduhoni, FiNSCn, Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1872, 111, (Athiutic Oceau). 

 P. ohscurus. Audubon et Auctorum, nee Procellaria obscura', Gmelm. 

 -Proc. Zool. Soc. Loud., 1872, p. 111. 

 ^Ibis, July, 1888, ].. 357. 



