( 14 ) 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OF SCHLEGEL'S PETREL 

 ((E8TRELATA NEGLECT A) IN CHESHIRE. 



A NEW BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BIRD. 

 BY 



ROBERT NEWSTEAD, a.l.s,, & T. A. COWARD, r.z.s. 



On April 1st, 1908, an example of one of the " Dove- 

 like Fulmars " was found dead under a tree near 

 Tarporley, Cheshire, by a man who attends the weekly 

 market at Chester. On the fourth day after its dis- 

 covery the bird was offered to Mr. Arthur Newstead, 

 who subsequently purchased it ; it is now in his posses- 

 sion. The bird, a male, was examined by one of us 

 while it was still in the flesh, an outline drawing was 

 made of it, and the colour of the soft parts, the weight, 

 and other details, carefully noted. The bird was in an 

 excellent state of preservation, and, as might be expected 

 with a Petrel, there was no indication that it had been 

 in captivity. 



The distinguishing characters of the bird are as 

 follows : — Uniformly brown, paler beneath ; forehead and 

 cheeks faintly mottled ; " exposed portion of the outer 

 primary beneath — white towards the base of the inner 

 web."* Tarsi, proximal third of the toes, and webs, 

 bluish-grey ; the rest of the feet black. Tail very 

 slightly rounded. Bill black. Irides dark hazel. 



The details are : — Upper-surface dark brown, head and 

 neck decidedly greyer ; all the feathers edged with paler 

 brown, with the exception of some of the scapulars, 

 which are also decidedly darker (blackish-brownj than 

 the feathers of the back ; forehead and cheeks mottled 

 with brown. Under-surface greyish-brown, in a strong 



* Salvin, Cat. Birds in coll. Brit. Museum, XXV., p. 397. 



