TV BIN A RES. 



DUSKY SHEARWATER. 27 



PnOCELLAlUIhM. 



^^W=:^^^Ei> 



PuFFiNUS OBSCURUS (Gmelin*). 

 THE DUSKY SHEARWATER. 



Ptiflinus ohscuriis. 



The interesting Shearwater figured above was brought to 

 the Author by Mr. B. Blackburn, of Valentia Harbour, in 

 the county of Kerry ; who afterwards sent him the follow- 

 ing note of its occurrence : — 



" The Petrel which I left with you this morning flew on 

 board a small sloop oft' the island of Valentia, on the south- 

 west coast of Ireland, late in the evening of the 11th of 

 May, 1853. Mrs. Blackburn had never observed it before 

 on our coast, and we concluded it to be the Pnjjinus ohscurus 

 of Temminck and Gould. It made no attempt either to 

 run or fly away, and suffered itself to be handled without 

 exhibiting alarm ; and though apparently strong and vigor- 

 ous, manifested quite an oriental resignation to its fate." 

 This specimen was exhibited at a meeting of the Linnean 



* Procellaria ubscura, Gnieliii. Sysf. Nat. i. p ^>59 (1788). 



