l6 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I45 



carpals, coracoids, a femur, tibiotarsus, tarsometatarsi, a sternum, 

 and parts of a skull, that probably represent half a dozen individuals. 

 While the w^ing and leg bones may be sorted in two groups one of 

 which is slightly smaller than the other, it is seen on close scrutiny 

 that the specimens of lesser size all are obviously immature, some 

 of them quite young. It is my opinion therefore that the smaller size 

 in these is due to their not having attained full growth. 



Shufeldt (1916, p. 632) in study of a collection of cave bones from 

 Bermuda noted two apparent size groups and named the smaller one 

 Puffiniis parvus. \\'hile I have not had opportunity as yet to examine 

 his material, the plates that he published in a later account (Shufeldt, 

 1922) do not appear to substantiate his claims, particularly since at 

 the time he had available only one skeleton of Puffinus Ihcrminicri 

 in the U. S. National IMuseum for comparison. This individual is 

 near the maximum size for the species. His smaller specimens as 

 illustrated show no differences in size from the range of variation 

 found in the series now available, particularly when it is under- 

 stood that all Shufeldt's illustrations are not natural size, though so 

 indicated in the legends. I regard parvus, therefore, as a synonym of 

 Ihcrminieri. 



Puffinus mcgalli Shufeldt (1916, p. 630; 1922, p. 354), based on 

 a nearly complete sternum, appears to be an example of Puffinus 

 puffinus, as the figures agree exactly with a sternum of a female 

 Puffinus puffinus puffinus, No. 227465 in the U. S. National Museum 

 collections. 



PTERODROMA CAHOW (Nichols and Mowbray): Bermuda Petrel 



Acstrelata cahoiv Nichols and Mowbray, Auk, vol. 22, No. 2, April (March 31), 

 1916, p. 194. (Southeast side of Castle Island, Bermuda.) 



Aestrclata vodfcrans Shufeldt, Ibis, sen 10, vol. 4, No. 4, Oct. 2, 1916, p. 62>2>- 

 (Bermuda.) 



The greater part of the bones in the present collection are those 

 of this species, including abundant representation of wing and leg 

 bones, parts of 12 skulls, 12 sterna, 23 furculae, several coracoids, 

 scapulae and parts of more than 14 pelves. The indication is that 

 more than 25 individual birds are represented. About one-half come 

 from young birds that range from one-third grown to full size, but 

 the latter with the ends of some of the long bones still spongy. The 

 indication is clear that the site where the bones were found was a 

 breeding colony of this petrel, formerly abundant in Bermuda. 



The adult bones all agree in detail with the modern skeletons of 

 the cahow in the U. S. National Museum. 



