1877.] DR. O. FINSCH ON BIRDS FROM NIUAFOU ISLAND. 787 



tenebrosus, Natt. Uuder-tail coverts black with narrow white 

 tips ; the middle row with their shafts white. Exactly like spe- 

 cimens from the Palau group and M'Kean's Island (type of F. 

 dichrous, F. & H.) ; the latter has the white on the base of the 

 lateral under tail-coverts more extended, 

 i. Specimens from Madagascar (Vienna Museum). Under tail- 

 coverts of a uniform white. 



c. Specimens from Bourbon in the Leyden Museum (labelled in 



Temminck's handwriting Puffinus obscurus $ , Temm. Man. 

 d'Orn.). Like the foregoing, but the lateral under tail-coverts 

 fringed with dusky on the outer web. 



d. Specimens from Mauritius (Coll. Newton). Lateral under tail- 



coverts on the whole outer web dusky. 



e. Specimens from Cape Florida (Deppe, Berlin Museum, P. ob- 



scurus, Audub., and type of P. auduboni, Finsch). "Longest 

 lateral under tail-coverts uniform dusky, the anterior lateral 

 under tail-feathers on the outer vane black, on the inner white." 



f. Specimen (s. n. obscurus 1) from Mauritius (Coll. Newton). 



" Under tail-feathers dark brown, with white tips, exactly like 

 Palau specimens." 



g. Specimens from Viti {Puffinus, sp. ? Finsch, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 112, 



and Mus. Godeffr. 1875, viii. p. 4.5, note). '' Under tail-coverts 

 uniform smoky-black, with hidden white at their bases. 



These notes will convince every one that the black or white of the 

 under tail-feathers forms no specific character, and even less so the 

 more or less extent of the black along the rictal line, which some- 

 times (according to the preparation of the skin) is cut off at the 

 under margin of the eye, sometimes runs a little further down. 



P. obscurus has, between the tropics, a wide distribution in the 

 Atlantic and Pacific regions, but has not yet been observed along 

 the coast of Europe, as has been maintained by Temminck, Schlegel, 

 and others. 



Its nearest ally, P. anylorum, may be distinguished by its larger 

 size and lighter coloration. 



On this species Mr. Hiibner remarks : — " The Teiko lives on a 

 small island, where during daytime it sleeps in holes in the rocks. I 

 obtained my specimens when rowing just before daybreak in a canoe 

 round the islands. We watched when the birds left their holes and, 

 becoming confused by the glare of a torch, allowed us to catch them 

 by hand." 



20. Phaeton candidus, Briss. 



Native name Tavaki, Hiibner. 

 One old female (November 18/6). 



