^Q2 Brewster on Peale's Petrel. [J"'y 



inner margin is shortened until witii the sixth it disappears, the white on 

 this feather, and all the remaining ones, ending more or less abruptly and 

 squarely. 



The primary coverts are essentially similar to the primaries, but with 

 less white on their inner vanes. The greater, middle, and lesser secon- 

 dary coverts are concolor with the back (hence, much lighter and bluer 

 than the secondaries), and, like the feathers of the back, each is tipped, as 

 well as margined, with ashy-white, forming narrow but distinct light 

 wing-bands. The anterior edge of the wing, for a space more than an 

 inch in width, is abrupt!}' darker than the adjoining secondary coverts, and 

 rather darker, as well as decidedly more sooty, than the darkest primaries. 



There is much dark mottling about the eye, but the lores and a rather 

 broad superciliary strip are pure white. The bill is black ; the tarsus dull 

 flesh-color. The basal third of toes, with contained webs, pale straw 

 color; the terminal portion black. 



Measiirements : Bill (chord of culmen), 1.03 in.; height at base, .46; 

 width, .42 ; length of nostril tubes to middle of incision, .16; to extrem- 

 ity, .25; tarsus, 1-37; outer toe and claw, 1.65; middle. 1.70; inner, 1.43; 

 wing, 9. 88; tail, 3.95; the graduation of the rectrices, .90. 



The Petrel just described differs from yS. fisheri in having a 

 stouter, more strongly hooked bill, much shorter nasal tubes, 

 less white on the forehead, crown and wings, the inner two pairs 

 of tail-feathers perfectly plain on both webs, and the outer three 

 ■pairs with faint sparse mottling on the inner webs only.* From 

 both ^j'^er/ and ^?//«r/5 it differs in having the feathers of the 

 back, as well as the greater and middle wing-coverts, tipped and 

 edged with white, giving the back a scaled appearance, and on 

 the wings forming distinct bands. Neither Jisheri nor gularis 

 shows any trace of white on the back, and neither has anything 

 approaching well defined wing-bands. The nostril tubes in y^. 

 scalaris ixve apparently shorter and more prominent than the ^r^. 

 giilai'is^ their superior outline straighter, the ends more squarely 

 cut off' and less deeply incised. The tubes in the type of fisheri 

 have been apparently mutilated, so that their original shape can- 

 not be safely stated, but they were certainly nearly twice as long 

 as in Q.\S\\Qx giilaris or scalaris. 



Despite the wide dissimilarity in coloring, the bird under con- 

 sideration is clearly nearer related to ^^S". gularis than to any 

 other known species. Structurally the two appear to be iden- 

 tical (save in respect to the slight, perhaps trifling, difference 



* The type oi fisheri has lost the central pair of tail feathers, but all the others have 

 much white mottling on both webs, giving the upper surface of the tail a conspicuously 

 variegated appearance. 



