3. OCEASODKOMA. 355 



brown, those along edge of the wing much darker, with pale margins ; 

 back, scapulars, and upper rump sooty slate-colour, each feather 

 with one or two very indistinct darker bars, and tipped with a more 

 decided slaty hue ; lesser wing-coverts and tertials darker greyish 

 sooty-brown, the longer of the latter narrowly margined with paler ; 

 middle and greater wing-coverts and innermost secondaries light 

 greyish brown, the margins of the secondaries and approximate 

 coverts sooty-blackish ; lower rump light greyish brown (like large 

 wing-coverts) ; upper tail-coverts and tail dark greyish brown (much 

 paler than remiges), each feather showing a subterminal broad 

 transverse spot of a darker shade of the same colour : bill and feet 

 black. Total length (skin) about 9 inches, wiug 6-20, tail 3-78, 

 forked for 1-60, culmen U'TO, de])th of bill through middle 0-20, 

 tarsus I'lO, middle toe with claw 1-12. 



" Hah. Japan. 



" Apart from an indistinctly mottled appearance, particularly of 

 the underparts, which I am inclined to consider an abnormal 

 feature, this species comes very near to 0. vionorhis (Swinh.) in 

 coloration. The latter, however, lacks the lighter rump-patch, and 

 also has the light-coloured wing-area more restricted, occupying, as 

 it does, much less of the innermost secondaries and not the whole 

 (as in this species) of the greater coverts. There is still greater 

 difference between the two in form ; the present bird having the 

 tail far more deeply forked, and the primaries remarkably short and 

 pointed, their shape being, in fact, quite unlike that in any other 

 species of the genus that I have been able to examine." 



Mr. Eidgway sent me the above description of Canon Tristram's 

 type, together with the name suggested for the bird by Mr. 

 Stejneger, which I adopt. 



The latter writer at one time considered that the specimen was 

 referable to my 0. marl-hami, but this proves, on comparing the two 

 birds, not to be the case. They are, however, very closely allied ; 

 the tarsus of 0. marlhami is slightly shorter, and the colour of the 

 I head and mantle more plumbeous. The wing-feathers of the type 

 [of 0. fristrami are not quite fully grown, so that I cannot compare 

 [the wings of the two birds for their respective lengths. The 

 idimensions otherwise seem to be nearly the same. 



9. Oceanodroma homochroa. 



Thalassidroma melania, Lawr. Birds N. Am. p. 830 (1800) ; id. Atlas, 



pi. 99. fig. 2 (fde Coues). 

 Cvmochorea homochroa, Coues, Pr. Ac. Phil. 1864, pp. 77, 90 ; id. 

 'Key N. Am. Birds, ed. 1, p. 329 (1872), ed. 2. p. 781 (1884) ; 



id. Check-list N. Am. Birds, p. 127 (1882) ; Elliot, Birds N. Am. 



i. Introd. (1869) ; Baird, Brae, i^- Ridgtc. Water-Birds N. Am. 



ii. p. 411 (1884); Bidc/u: Auk, iii. p. 267 (1886); A. O. U. 



Check-l N. Am. Birds, p. lOo (1886). 

 Oceanodroma homochroa, Ridyic. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 3t56 



(1885) ; id. Man. N. Am. Birds, p. 71 (1887). 



Adult. Uniform sooty-black with a tinge of plumbeous ; edges 



2a2 



