LITTLE DUSKY SHEAKWATEE 559 



accidental wanderer to latitudes as far north as our Isles, 

 from which it has been but twice recorded. 



A bird was obtained alive off the Bull Rock, co. Cork. 

 It " settled on the little sloop ' Olive ' when it was passing 

 the group of islands known as the Bull, Cow and Calf 

 Rocks, off the western termination of co. Cork." 



It was taken into Valentia Harbour on May 6th, 1853, 

 and was presented to the Dublin Museum in 1894 by Mr. 

 A. B. Blackburn, of Heaton Moor, Lancashire ; it was 

 originally described by Yarrell as the Dusky Shearwater, 

 Puffinus obscurus (' British Birds,' 3rd Edit., vol. iii, p. 

 659), but on further examination by Mr. H. Saunders, it 

 proved to be the Little Dusky Shearwater, P. assimilis. 

 It was subsequently exhibited as such at the British Orni- 

 thologists' Club on March 16th, 1898 (Ussher, 'Birds of 

 Ireland,' p. 395 ; also Watters, ' Birds of Ireland,' p. 268). 



The other specimen was found dead near Bungay in 

 Suffolk, about April 10th, 1858, having been driven inland 

 by a gale. Its head was wounded, as though in its flight it 

 struck something, perhaps a tree. It was exhibited before 

 the Zoological Society of London, by the late Mr. 0. 

 Salvin, on May 16th, 1882. This example was also origin- 

 ally described as P. obscurus. It is preserved in the 

 collection at Earsham Hall (Saunders, Man. Brit. Birds, 

 2nd Edit., p. 743 ; vide also Stevenson, ' Zoologist,' 1858). 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. Top of head, back of 

 neck, back, scapulars, wings, and tail, bluish-black ; cheeks, 

 chin, throat, sides of neck, breast, abdomen, and under 

 tail-coverts, pure white ; under wing-coverts also white ; 

 primaries, chiefly black, showing some white on the outer 

 portion of the inner webs. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male plumage. 



Adult winter, male and female. Similar to the nuptial 

 plumage. 



Immature, male and female. Resembles the adult 

 plumage. 



BEAK. Black. 



EEET. Blackish ; webs, yellow. 



IRIDES. Blackish-brown. 



EGG. Pure white : clutch, one. 



