DESCRIPTION OF A NEW STORM PETREL FROM THE COAST OF 



WESTERN MEXICO. 



BY 



Robert Ridgway, 



Curator of the Depart7nent of Bi)ds. 



The type-speciuien herein described was collected by John Xantus 

 nearly thirty-five years ago, but Mr. Chas. H. Townsend's considerable 

 series of excellently prepared specimens — the oi)ly others taken, to my 

 knowledge — entitle him to the credit of having established the specific 

 characters of this si>ecies, to which I consequently take pleasure in 

 giving his name. 



Oceanodroma townsendi, sp. nov. 



Thalossidroma melariia " Bonap." Baikd, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1859, 301, 306 

 (Cape St. Lucas). 

 Cymochorta melanin CouES, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1864, 76; Key, 1872, 329; 



Check List, 1873, No. 589.— B. B. & P., Water B. N. Am. ii, 1884, 411. 

 Cymochorea mehvna PiDGW., Norn. N. Am. B. 1881, No. 724. — Coues, Check List, 



2d ed. 1882, No. 824; Key, 2d ed. 1884, 781. 

 Oceanodroma melania A. O. U., Check List, 1886, No. 107. — Ridgw., Man. N. Am. 

 B. 1887, 70. 

 Oceanodroma toivnsendi RiDGW., MS. 



Sp. Char. — Tarsus decidedly longer than middle toe, with claw. 

 Color, soot}^ brownish or dusky, darker above: under wing" coverts 

 entirely uniform in color with lower parts; exposed surface of greater 

 wing <'Overts entirely light grayish brown. Total length (skins), about 

 8.00-8.50 inches (average, 8.20); wing, 0.00-7.00 (0.78); tail, 3.30-3.00 

 (3.43); depthof fork, 0.05-1.30(1.15); exposed culmen, 0.57-0.02 (0.50); 

 length of nasal tubes, 0.22-0.30 (0.27); tarsus, 1.20-1.28 (1.24); middle 

 toe, with claw, 1.10-1.20 (1.13). 



Hab. — Off coast of western Mexico, north to Cape St. Lucas and 

 Guayinas. 



Type, No. 13025, U. S. National Museum, S ad.. Cape St. Lucas, 

 Lower California; J. Xantus. 



Observations.— A series of nine finely-prepared skins of this spe, 

 cies, collected by Mr. C. H. Townsend off Guaymas and Acapulco- 

 Mexioo, proves conclusively that this bird can not be the Thala.ssi- 



droma melania of lionaparte, neither the dimensions nor the coloration 



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rrococdings XutioiiUl Museum', Vol. XVI— Xd. 962. 



687 



