THE FORK-TAILED PETREL. 871 



scarcely flv ; and in tlie flock there are generall}" a few which ha\e l)ecome S3 

 overloaded that it is only when they have been almost run down by the \essel, 

 that thev at last disgorge their snrplus and succeed in lea\"ing the water 



A. W. .\.\THONY. 



On the 25th of August, 1907, ;\Ir. Bowles witnessed a flight of these 

 Shearwaters at Moclips in Gray's Harbor County. The weather hail been 

 foggy for some days, but the fog lifted on this occasion about an hour before 

 sundown, and discovered a stream of lairds passing northward about a quarter 

 of a mile offshore. The li\-ing ribbon hatl a width of ten or a dozen birds 

 and moved continuously at the rate of twenty or thirty miles an hour until no 

 longer visible from shore by reason of darkness. From a quarter to half a 

 million Shearwaters luight have passed in the time noted : and of course it was 

 impossible to tell how long the iuo\ement liad been in progress. 



That the pre\ailing species at this time was tciiiiirostris. was e\i(Ienced 

 bv a considerable number of dead and d_\'ing birds washed ashore on this and 

 ]:)receding days. These Shearwaters, it seems, in company with other sea- 

 birds of several species, were suffering from tlie attacks of enteric parasites, 

 tape worms. The specimens examined were ^■ery nuich emaciated, and their 

 intestines were found to be packed solid from end to end with these disgusting 

 creatures, rendering death b\- star\'ation inevitable. 



No. 353. 



FORK-TAILED PETREL. 



A. O. U. No. 105. Oceanodroma furcata (Gmel.). 



Synonym. — Gr.ay Fork-t.mi.ed Petrkl. 



Description. — Adult: pjluish ash, lightening below and on greater wing- 

 coverts, palest, to whitish, on throat and under tail-coverts ; tertials tipped with 

 white ; lesser wing-coverts, edge of wing, and exposed primaries dusky ; a dusky 

 patch about eye; inner webs of i)riniaries lighter ash to whitish, and outer web of 

 outer tail-feather definitely white: hU\ and feet lilack. I^ength 8.00-9.00 (203.2- 

 228.6) : wing 6.00-6.50 (152. 4-163. 1 ) : tail 4.00 ( 101.6), forked about i.oo (23.4) ; 

 bill .60 ( 15.2) ; tarsus .85 (21.61. 



Recognition Marks. — Chewink size, but appearnig more like Xighthawk; 

 ashy blue coloration distinctive. 



Nesting. — Not known to breed in Washington, but possiblv does so. Egg: 

 subelliptical, pure white or with ring of purplish black dots about larger end, 

 placed at end of small burrow in earth-bank. Av. size, 1.25 x. 95 (31.8x24.1). 

 Season : June : one chick. 



General Range. — North Pacific Ocean, breeding on certain islands off the 



