THE BIRDS OF THE JUAN FERNANDEZ ISLANDS I I 



150 — 152. Thus, the specimen from Masatierra is intermediate in size, and the 

 question about its identity must be left open as there is not sufficient material 

 for a discussion. It must, however, be remarked that LOOMIS has recorded 

 the length of the wing for a specimen obtained south of the Galapagos Is- 

 lands to 179 mm., thus even more than in F. segethi according to MATHEWS. 



The tarsi of the present specimen are scutellated in front, but the su- 

 tures have a great tendency to coalesce and disappear. The white fringes of 

 the feathers of the back are not yet worn off in this specimen. 



Mr. Backstrom communicates: »This bird occurred rather sparingly flying 

 round the island, but was more often seen at a distance of 50 to 100 miles 

 out to sea. The inhabitants said that it breeds on Masatierra and Masafuera 

 as well as on Santa Clara, but I never succeeded in finding any nest.» 



Puffinus creatopus Coues 

 Native name: Fardela; thus all the Pterodromas are also called. 

 Masatierra: 2 J^J* ^s^^. i J^, j $ 28/^. ^ 5 29^^ ^^^^^ 



The female collected ^^i is probably a youngish bird as it has its lower 

 surface finely mottled with greyish. This is most pronounced on the fore 

 neck. Its length of wing is 321 mm. The same measurement of the other 

 female is 319 mm., while that of the males is 327, 333 and 318 respectively. 

 The last figure proves that the males are not always larger than the females, 

 as has also been observed by LoOMiS. The plumage is somewhat worn. 



The first mentioned female specimen is also much stained with yellowish 

 brown, no doubt from the earth in which it had made its burrow. Mr. BACK- 

 STROM collected this one on the way down from the Centinela in the Que- 

 brada de la Piedra agujeriada. Three more specimens seen by him appeared 

 similar in colour, and he remarks that the inhabitants believed it to represent 

 a different kind; there is, however, no reason for that. 



The maximum length of the wing recorded by LoOMiS for this species 

 is 351 mm. and his average is 333, or equal to the maximum of these spe- 

 cimens from Juan Fernandez. This fact may indicate that at some more northern 

 breeding place a larger local race may be found. 



According to Mr. BacKSTROM the Shearwater occurred all over Masa- 

 tierra except in the valleys of Cumberland Bay and Pangal. »It breeds chiefly 

 near the lower tree-limit among brush-wood, but often also high up in the 

 forests. Now and then a nest was seen below the forest-line, but never lower 

 than about 200 m. above the sea. It makes burrows in the sand, usually in a 

 horizontal direction and reaching a length of even 2 m. The nest was not 

 lined at all. The breeding season appears to extend over a very long time 

 as I found eggs from the end of January to the end of March. » 



» During daytime Shearwaters were rarely seen flying over the island, 

 even after the young had been hatched. It might happen, however, that like 

 Pterodroma neglecta, they showed themselves at daylight over Masatierra, this 

 in striking contrast to the conditions on Masafuera, where a »fardela» never 



