NOTES. 253 



Dr. N. F. Ticehurst, in his History of the Birds of Kent, 

 says " the only two specimens of this species hitherto recorded 

 from the British Isles were obtained in Kent," but possibly 

 some of the specimens which have been already recorded as 

 Oceanodroma leucorrhoa may be of this Madeiran species. 



Philip W. Munn. 



LITTLE DUSKY SHEARWATER IN SUSSEX. 

 On October 27th, 1911, a Little Dusky Shearwater was 

 picked up on the beach near St. Leonards-on-Sea. Upon 

 dissection it proved to be a female. 



This makes the fifth example for the British Isles. As in 

 previous cases, the bird was washed ashore after strong 

 south-westerly gales, which during October were of unusual 

 severity. H. W. Ford-Lindsay. 



[Mr. J. B. Nichols, in whose collection is the above-mentioned 

 bird, has kindly allowed me to examine it, as well as another 

 specimen (male) picked up at Pevensey Sluice on November 

 15th, 1911. I have also been able to compare these two 

 with the male caught near Lydd on November 27th, 1905 

 (c/. Vol. II., p. 373), which is also in Mr. Nichols's possession. 

 They are all of the Madeiran race, which was separated by 

 Messrs. Rothschild and Hartert from the east African form 

 under the name of Puffinus obscurus atlanticus {Bull. B.O.C., 

 XXVII. , p. 43, 1911). But Dr. J. A. Allen, in reviewing 

 Dr. Godman's Monograph of the Petrels, in the Auk (1908, 

 p. 339), perceiving from the literature that the Madeiran 

 bird was distinct, had already proposed for it the name 

 Puffinus godmani, and this name, of course, has priority 

 over atlanticus. The east African form is P. obscurus bailloni, 

 and differs from P.O. godmani by the lores being dark instead 

 of white, and by the patch on each side of the breast being 

 larger and darker brown, not so grey as in P. o. godmani. 

 The name assimilis is restricted to the Australian 

 race.— H.F.W.] 



SHEARWATERS IN THE BAY OF BISCAY AND 

 THE ENGLISH CHANNEL. 



As several notes have appeared recently with regard to the 

 migration of Shearwaters, it may be worth while recording 

 some observations I made in September, 1911. In that 

 month I went by boat from London to Bordeaux, and 

 returned three weeks later. On the 5th we were in the 

 Channel, and although we had passed the Channel Islands 

 before dark, I saw no Shearwaters. We were well into the 

 Bay on the morning of the 6th, and I saw some Great Shear- 

 waters {Puffinus gravis) fairly earty ; later in the day there 



