Vol. XIV 
1897 
am 
PALMER, A Petrel New to North America. 297 
AN ADDITION TO NORTH AMERICAN PETRELS. 
BY WILLIAM PALMER. 
THE great storm that occurred on the coast of the South Atlantic 
States on August 26-27, 1893, resulted in a great destruction of 
seabird life, besides driving many individuals far inland. At such 
times specimens are likely to be obtained that are rare or unusual 
in certain localities, and occasionally one that is considerably out 
of its normal range; this storm was no exception in this respect.’ 
Two Petrels were received by me at that time, both having been 
taken within the limits of the city of Washington. Both speci- 
mens prove to be typical of Knudsen’s Petrel, Oceanodroma cryp- 
toleucura Ridgway, probably a Pacific Ocean species. This bird 
was described in 18827? from some specimens which had been 
in the National Museum collection since 1866. These were 
collected on or about some of the Hawaiian Islands (Waimea 
and Kanai) by Valdemar Knudsen, sometime previous to that 
year, no dates being on the labels. Mr. C. H. Townsend of the 
U.S. F. C. S. ¢ Albatross’ collected four specimens near Wenman 
Island, of the Galapagos Group, on April 4, 1891, which are also in 
the National Collection. There are a number of specimens in the 
British Museum from several localities in the Hawaiian Islands, 
from Australia, and from various islands in the eastern Atlantic, 
— Funchal, Madeira; Desertas Islands, Porto Santo Island, 
St. Helena and Great Salvage Island. A specimen was also 
picked up December 5, 1895, on the coast of Kent, England. 
Thus a fairly cosmopolitan range seems imminent for the bird. 
The species bears a very great general resemblance to Leach’s 
Petrel but differs in so many features as to be clearly distinguish- 
able. In the following descriptions I have italicized these 
differences. 
Oceanodroma leucorhoa. LEACH’s PETREL. 
General color, sooty brown, nearly unicolor, but slightly paler beneath. 
Tail strongly forking; upper tail-coverts dizmgy white, some (under) 
1 Auk, 1893, 361; 1894, 85, 181. 
2 Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., IV, 1882, 337. 
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