534 Miscellaneous. 



discovery of remains of the mj'sterious cahow, which the writer, in 

 several former articles *, has considered an extinct bird, unknown 

 to zoologists, while others have tried to identify it with the shear- 

 water (Piiffinus ohscurus or miduhoni), which still breeds at Bermuda 

 in small numbers. 



The following is an extract from Mr. Mowbray's letter : — 



" I have found the bones of the Cahow, together with feathers 

 answering identically the description of ' russet colour and white ' 

 [the colours mentioned by the writers of 1612-20]. The bird is 

 closely related to the petrels. The beak is sharp, hooked. The 

 cnemial process of the tarsus is well developed, more bo than in 

 Piiffinus ohscurus, of which I have also taken several pairs. The 

 bones found certainly do not belong to the shearwaters. I have 

 found the beak and bones of the shearAvater in the same locality, 

 and they can easily be separated one from the other. I found the 

 bones in a cave, some of them buried 3 inches deep in the calcite of 

 the floor, which will testify as to their age. The feathers are 

 imbedded from y\v to -1 of an inch under the surface of a large 

 stalactite. Ey holding the stalactite to the light one can see five or 

 six feathers imbedded, with the shafts of the feathers all pointing 

 one way downward. 



" The cave is a new one, found only a few months ago, I had 

 the pleasure of exploring it thoroughly, and found many skeletons. 

 TVheu the diflPerent bones are selected, I think almost the whole 

 skeleton can be made up. Measuring the stained portion of the 

 snow-white calcite floor around the bones, I should say that the 

 bird was about 12 to 14 inches long, not more. I hope the finding 

 of these remains may interest you. . . . The Aquarium is proving a 

 great success. The Biological Station is getting into fine shape. 



(Signed) " Lotjis L. Mowbeat." 



"Hamilton, Berm., 

 March 15, 1908." 



This remarkable discovery ought to settle the status of the cahow, 

 when the bones have been carefully studied by an expert osteologist. 

 The fact that the bird discovered is distinct from the shearwater, 

 found with it, is of itself an important point. The colours of the 

 cahow seem to have been similar to those of the exceedingly rare, if 

 not extinct, " Scaled Petrel." — Amer. Journ. Sci., April 1908, p. 361. 

 (Communicated by the Author.) 



* " The Story of the Cahow, the Mysterious Extinct Bird of the Ber- 

 mudas," Popular Science Monthly, Ix. pp. 23-30 (1901) ; and ' Zoology 

 of Bermuda,' vol. i. 



" The Cahow of the Bermudas, an Extinct Bird," Ann. & Mag. Nat. 

 Hist. ix. pp. 26-31 (1902). 



' The Bermuda Islands,' vol. i. p. 260, ed. 2, Supplement, p. 572 (1907). 



For the adverse view, H. B. Tristram, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ix. 

 Juue 1902, p. 447. 



