250 ANTHONY, Nesting Habits of Shearwaters. ne 
thomelas on Natividad, averaging about five feet in length. On 
Clarion Island this species was again found in a similar location, 
all of the burrows being confined to a thick growth of grass, on 
the high parts of the island. 
The Clarion colonies were more extensive, each suitable patch 
of grass being well populated. Few birds were seen at sea during 
the daytime and at night, those that visited the nests must have 
been much more silent than is the Black-vented Shearwater, in 
the vicinity of its colonies, for I do not remember hearing any 
notes that I could attribute to P. auricularis though one or two of 
those that were dragged from their nests gave vent to their dis- 
pleasure in gotes similar to those of P. opisthome/as. 
About Cape St. Lucas, and between that point and the Revilla- 
gigedo Islands, the Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Pufinus cuneatus) is 
found in abundance in May and June. It probably may occur at 
other seasons, but as I have not visited the region of the Cape 
during other seasons I can give no assurance of its doing so. 
This species is of exceptional interest, as it belongs to a group of 
Shearwaters new to the North American fauna, and of which little 
is known. Iwas so fortunate as to discover a large colony nest- 
ing on San Benedicto Island, from which was obtained a fine 
series of skins with all of the intergrades between the white-bellied 
phase of ‘ cuneatus’ and the dusky form described by L. Stejneger 
from the Sandwich Islands as knudsent. 
On first landing on San Benedicto, the first of May, I heard a 
low murmuring noise which seemed to come from the opposite 
side of the island. ‘Thinking it might come from a rookery of seals, 
I started out to investigate, but soon found that I was getting no 
nearer the source of the noise, which possessed a ventriloquial 
power difficult to locate. I soon, however, found myself sur- 
rounded by large burrows which fairly honeycombed the entire 
south end of the island, which was so completely undermined that 
one constantly broke through into burrows, frequently sinking to 
the hips in ground that had every appearance of being solid. 
The accompanying photograph (Plate VIII) gives one but a 
faint conception of the number of burrows, and of course shows 
but a very small part of the colony. 
From many of the holes came moans and sobs in soft low 
