364 



THE TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS — TUBINARES. 



Had. Southern oceans ; cnKual off the const of Ore^'on. 



Si'. Chak. Adulf: Head, neck, uikI lower parts, wliite ; ' upper parts i)hiin fulininous-slale, 

 the feuthui-s, particularly the 8cupulurs, suuietiinea indistinctly tipped with lighter. Bill yellow ; 



Dark phase. 



legs and feet yellowish or dusky. Youmj ! : Uniform dark fuliginous-slate, sometimes with whilisli 

 feathers around Imse of the bill. Bill more olivaceous.* 



Total length, about 3 feet ; extent, about 7 ; wing, 17.(K) to 21.tK) inches; culmen, 3.5t>-4.()0 ; 

 tarsus, 3.50 ; middle toe, without claw, 4.50-4.70. 



Audubon states that a specimen of this enormous Tetrol was shot at .some distance 

 from the mouth of Columbia lliver, and sent to him by ^Ir. Townsend. Its great si/.c 

 gave to it, at first sight, the appearance of an Albatross. 15y some sailors it is said 

 to be known by the name of "Mother Carey's (Joose." In the Heport of the? Wilkes 

 Expedition it is spoken of as the "Giant I't'trel." It was fre(juently observed duriiij,' 

 the voyage of that Expedition, and its claim to be regarded as one of the birds ol 

 North America is confirmed by the (collection of specimens on the coast of Oregon. 

 Since this species is much larger than its immediate relatives in this gronj), it would 

 seem as if it was more nearly allied to the Albatrosses than to the Fulmars. So fur, 

 however, as its manners and habits are known, they vary but little from those of the 

 Fulmars. 



The occurrence of this bird is frequently referred to by Dr. l*iek«'ring in his Journjil 

 of the Events of the United States Exi^'Oinng^KKiMjdilion. .Un tlie morning of Feb. H, 

 1831), an example of this large Fidmar was captured ; but the locality is not given. 

 He states that an individual of this spe(cies had been seen occasionally since the loth 

 of January, when the Exjjedition was in latitude 39° 5', in the Atlantic Ocean; but 

 at first it was mistaken for an Albatross. In size it was equal to a (Joose, its total 

 length being two feet, five inches, and its expan.se of wing six feet. Its iris wiis 

 lake-brown. It was captured alive; and when placed on deck, could run or stand fur 

 a few moments without expanding its wingr., but was apparently very soon fatigued 

 with such exertion, and almost immediately assumed a sitting iH)sition, like that 



* Accoitliii},' to Dr. Cwips (see Pr. Pliilad. Acad. 1860, p. .32) some specimens are "pure white all over. 

 oven to tlie wings niul tail ; the continuity of the wliite only interrupted by n few isolated brown feiithi'i> 

 sparsely scattered at irreguliir intervals over the body." 



* Audubon cle8cril)e8 the bill ami feet of a s|H-cinien in the uniform dnrk-brown plumage ns yellow ; 

 while a male (jige not stated) from Tom Hay, Patagonia, is thus descrilH'il by .Mr. Shar|H; (Proc. Zonl- 

 Soc, Lend., 1881, p. 11) : " Bill light gray ; iris dark browu ; eyelids black ; legs ami feet dark giay." 



iii 



