04 Cory on New Species of ProcellariidcB. 



followed. It will be seen at once, by those who care to examine 

 the references above given, that I have borrowed freely from the 

 labours of Nitzsch, Huxley, Sundevall, Parker, and Garrod — au- 

 thors who have lately shed a flood of light upon one of the most 

 difficult zoological problems of the dav, the best arrangement of 

 the class of birds. My system is. in fact, that of Prof. Huxley's 

 reversed, i. e. beginning at the top instead of the bottom, with 

 slight alterations and emendations extracted from the works of the 

 other authors above mentioned. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF THE 

 FAMILY PROCELLARIIDsE. 



BY CHARLES B. CORY. 



Puffinus borealis. Above brownish-ash. the feathers of the back 

 becoming pale at the tips, those on the nape and sides of the neck narrow- 

 ly tipped with white; on the sides of the neck and head the ash and white 

 gradually mingling as in P. kuhlii. Tips of the upper tail coverts, white. 

 Under eyelid, white, showing clearly in contrast with the ashy gray of the 

 head. The first three primaries are light ash on the inner webs. Wings 

 and tail brownish-gray. Under parts, white, slightly touched with ash 

 on the flanks, lining of wings white. Under tail coverts white, the longest 

 tinged with ash near the ends, which extend nearly to the tips of the 

 longest tail feathers. Outside of foot greenish-black, inside and webs dull 

 orange, bill pale yellowish at the base shading into greenish-black but 

 again becoming pale near the tip. 



Length, 20.50 inches; wing. 14.50: hill (straight line to tip). 2.25; 

 depth at base, .75; tail. 6.50; tarsus. 2.20. 



The tvpe specimen of this .Shearwater was killed near Chatham 

 Island, Cape Cod, Mass., on the nth of October last. Being un- 

 acquainted with it I showed it to some fishermen and requested 

 them to procure any birds thev might meet with resembling it. 

 During the afternoon one of the boats returned bringing a number 

 of birds of this species. The men stated that they had met with 

 a flock a short distance from shore and had shot several and 

 knocked others down with their oars. According to their 

 statement, after firing the first shot, the birds flew about them in 

 a dazed manner often passing within a few feet of the boat. 



