310 Mr. N. Kuroda on the Japanese [Ibis, 



Here I may mention the difference between these two 

 birds, as shown in the following key : — 



1. Shafts of primaries white in about the basal third of 



their length ; head not distinctly tinged witli 



greyisli .... 0. mehinia. 



2. Shafts of primaries black ; head distiuctl}' tinged 



witli greyish O. owstoni. 



Oceanodroma melania (Bonaparte). 



Procellaria melania Bp. C!. R. xxxviii. 1854, p. G62 : 

 Nicarao'ua to California. 



This is an American species. Viscount Matsndaira 

 obtained five male examples (all adult birds) off the coast 

 of Sagami Bay, 4 to 28 May, 1921. I have examined 

 these specimens, and found that they no doubt belong to the 

 species. They agree very well with plate 6 of Godman's 

 Monogr. Petrels. They are a deep sooty brown, and have the 

 shafts of the primaries white for about the basal third of 

 their length. The iirst primary is always longer than the 

 fourth in the five specimens before me. 



Salvin (Oat. B. Brit. Mus. xxv. 1896, p. 354) mentioned 

 that a specimen from Jajtan in Canon Tristram^s collection, 

 attributed to 0. melania by Seebohm, is not a true O. melania 

 but should be referred to 0. tristrami, and Dr. Hartert is 

 also of the same opinion, as follows : — 



'' Seebohni Hess sie irrtiimlicherweise in Japan vorkommenj 

 da er sie mit trisframi verwechselt hatte '' (Vug. pal. Fauna, 

 ii. p. 1416). 



If Seebohm's identification was erroneous, it seems probable 

 that this is the first occasion on which the form has 

 been obtained in Japanese waters. The following are the 

 measurements in millimetres : — 



Middle toe Depth of 



Tar.sus. without claw, tail fork. Date. 



26 21 32-5 4. v. 1921 

 28 23-5 34 21. v. „ 



27 23 33 „ „ 

 27 23 31 28. v, „ 

 26 23 28-5 „ ,, 



