v "'i,u.; XX | Nichols, Notes on Offshore Birds. 507 



its still', narrow wings a few quick flaps, and slid out of sight behind 

 a swell. 



Coming north Prom Havana, Hatteras was passed after dark, 

 so that tin' bird life then 1 was not observed except that Herring 

 (lulls became tolerably common and three Gannets were seen on 

 blue water with gulf weed just south of that cape. March 11, 32° 

 .';<>' North 77° 00' West (145 miles east, of Charleston) several 

 Puffinidte, about ten in all, were seen. They were wild and none 

 came near enough to the steamer for a satisfactory view, hut they 

 were noted as probably Greater Shearwaters (Puffinus gravis) and 

 I marvelled greatly that this species should be found oil' Hatteras 

 at a season when it would have been expected to be just finishing 

 its breeding in the southern hemisphere. In the light of later 

 observations, these birds were very likely the Black-capped Petrel. 



January 23, 1913, left New York for Havana by steamer. It 

 was interesting to contrast the birds of an unusually warm winter 

 with those observed in 1912. A single Bonaparte's Gull (Larus 

 Philadelphia) was seen in New York harbor, and two Gannets were 

 observed outside, the first probably about ten miles south from 

 Sandy Hook. On the Cape Hatteras grounds Gannets were nu- 

 merous, but a single Loon and perhaps one or two Alcidse were in 

 contrast to the many birds seen here the year previous. Herring 

 Gulls also were not noted as far south, the last being seen the day 

 Hatteras was passed. On January 25, 31° 48' North 75° 58' 

 \\V>t ( 250 miles east of Savannah), on blue water, alternating sunny 

 and showery with a little lightning, the steamer butting into a 

 brisk southwesterly breeze, a sharp lookout was kept for Puffinidte, 

 as they had been seen near this latitude the year before. Once or 

 twice thin vanishing vertical shadows against the myriad horizontal 

 wave shadows of the distance lead me to believe there were some 

 of these birds about, and as I stood by the port side forward, look- 

 ing towards the bow, a Black-capped Petrel (JEstrelata hasitaia) 

 darted away to the eastward above the waves, and I had a splendid 

 view of its long, narrow, stiff wings, blackish, cap and back, black 

 tail, white side of neck underparts, lining of wings and upper tail 

 coverts. First one then the other wing uppermost, it was shooting 

 across the wind with almost unbelievable speed and soon out of 

 sight among the distant seas. An Audubon's Shearwater, which 



