^°l897^^J Palmer, A Petrel Neiv to N'orth America. 2 07 



AN ADDITION TO NORTH AMERICAN PETRELS. 



BY WILLIAM PALMER. 



The great storm that occurred on the coast of the South Atlantic 

 States on August 26-27, 1893, resulted in a great destruction of 

 seabird life, besides driving many individuals far inland. At such 

 times specimens are likely to be obtained that are rare or unusual 

 in certain localities, and occasionally one that is considerably out 

 of its normal range ; this storm was no exception in this respect.^ 



Two Petrels were received by me at that time, both having been 

 taken within the limits of the city of Washington. Both speci- 

 mens prove to be typical of Knudsen's Petrel, Oceanodroma cryp- 

 toleucura Ridgway, probably a Pacific Ocean species. This bird 

 was described in 1882 - from some specimens which had been 

 in the National Museum collection since 1S66. These were 

 collected on or about some of the Hawaiian Islands (Waimea 

 and Kanai) by Valdemar Knudsen, sometime previous to that 

 year, no dates being on the labels. Mr. C. H. Townsend of the 

 U. S. F. C. S. ' Albatross ' collected four specimens near Wenman 

 Island, of the Galapagos Group, on April 4, 1891, which are also in 

 the National Collection. There are a number of specimens in the 

 British Museum from several locaUties in the Hawaiian Islands, 

 from Australia, and from various islands in the eastern Atlantic, 

 — Funchal, Madeira ; Desertas Islands, Porto Santo Island, 

 St. Helena and Great Salvage Island. A specimen was also 

 picked up December 5, 1895, on the coast of Kent, England. 

 Thus a fairly cosmopolitan range seems imminent for the bird. 

 The species bears a very great general resemblance to Leach's 

 Petrel but differs in so many features as to be clearly distinguish- 

 able. In the following descriptions I have italicized these 

 differences. 



Oceanodroma leucorhoa. Leach's Petrel. 



General color, sooty brown, nearly unicolor, but slightly paler beneath. 

 Tail stro7igly forking ; upper tail-coverts diugy white, some (under) 



lAuk, 1893, 361; 1894, 85, 181. 

 "^ Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., IV, 1S82, 337. 

 38 



