PROCELLARIID^: CESTRELATA 481 



794. (Estrelata mollis. Soft-plumaged Petrel. ' 



Procellaria mollis, Gould, Ann. Mag. N. H. xiii, p. 363 (1844) ; id, B. 



Austr. vii, pi. 50 (1848). 

 ^Estrelata mollis, Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr, p. 766 (1884) ; Salvin, 



Cat. B. M. xxv, p. 406 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 167 (1896) ; 



Peichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 27 (1900) ; Parkin, Ibis, 1900, p. 675 ; 



Shortridye, Ibis, 1904, p. 204. 



Description. Adult. General colour above slaty-grey, rather 

 darker on the head and wings which are almost black ; tail like the 

 back, the lateral feathers slightly freckled with white ; forehead and 

 lores mottled with white ; a black patch in front of and below the 

 eye ; sides of the neck and cheeks freckled grey and white ; below 

 white throughout with a band of slaty-grey, sometimes not quite 

 complete across the chest ; under wing-coverts and under surface 

 of the wing-quills very dark brown ; under tail-coverts very long, 

 reaching the end of the tail-feathers. 



FIG. Ii8. Head of (Estrelata mollis. x { 



Iris and bill black ; tarsus and proximal portion of the toes flesh- 

 coloured, distal portion and webs black. 



Length (in flesh) 14-0; wing 1OO ; tail 4-5; culmen 1-4 ; tarsus 

 1-3 ; middle toe 1-56. 



Distribution. The Soft-plumaged Petrel is found throughout the 

 Southern Ocean down to about the 50th parallel ; in the Atlantic it 

 crosses the line and is found as far north as Madeira. 



This Petrel is not uncommon in the Cape seas, especially off 

 the south-eastern coast of Cape Colony. In the South African 

 Museum there is an old mounted example obtained by Mr. Layard 

 in 31 S. lat. 26 E. long., off the coast of Pondoland, as well as a 

 pair recently obtained, in June, 1902, at Port St. John's, by Mr. 

 31 VOL. iv. 



