THE BIRDS OF THE JUAN FERNANDEZ ISLANDS II 
150—152. Thus, the specimen from Masatierra is intermediate in size, and the 
question about its identity must be left open as there is not sufficient material 
for a discussion. It must, however, be remarked that LOOMIS has recorded 
the length of the wing for a specimen obtained south of the Galapagos Is- 
lands to 179 mm., thus even more than in F. segethi according to MATHEWS. 
The tarsi of the present specimen are scutellated in front, but the su- 
tures have a great tendency to coalesce and disappear. The white fringes of 
the feathers of the back are not yet worn off in this specimen. 
Mr. BACKSTROM communicates: »This bird occurred rather sparingly flying 
round the island, but was more often seen at a distance of 50 to 100 miles 
out to sea. The inhabitants said that it breeds on Masatierra and Masafuera 
as well as on Santa Clara, but I never succeeded in finding any nest.» 
Puffinus creatopus Coues 
Native name: Fardela; thus all the Pterodromas are also called. 
Meanera: 2 fd “hh; 1 d, 1 2 8h; 1 2 2s 1017. 
The female collected *’/; is probably a youngish bird as it has its lower 
surface finely mottled with greyish. This is most pronounced on the fore 
neck. Its length of wing is 321 mm. The same measurement of the other 
female is 319 mm., while that of the males is 327, 333 and 318 respectively. 
The last figure proves that the males are not always larger than the females, 
as has also been observed by Loomis. The plumage is somewhat worn. 
The first mentioned female specimen is also much stained with yellowish 
brown, no doubt from the earth in which it had made its burrow. Mr. BACK- 
STROM collected this one on the way down from the Centinela in the Que- 
brada de la Piedra agujeriada. Three more specimens seen by him appeared 
similar in colour, and he remarks that the inhabitants believed it to represent 
a different kind; there is, however, no reason for that. 
The maximum length of the wing recorded by Loomis for this species 
is 351 mm. and his average is 333, or equal to the maximum of these spe- 
cimens from Juan Fernandez. This fact may indicate that at some more northern 
breeding place a larger local race may be found. 
According to Mr. BACKSTROM the Shearwater occurred all over Masa- 
tierra except in the valleys of Cumberland Bay and Pangal. »It breeds chiefly 
near the lower tree-limit among brush-wood, but often also high up in the 
forests. Now and then a nest was seen below the forest-line, but never lower 
than about 200 m. above the sea. It makes burrows in the sand, usually in a 
horizontal direction and reaching a length of even 2 m. The nest was not 
lined at all. The breeding season appears to extend over a very long time 
as I found eggs from the end of January to the end of March.» 
»During daytime Shearwaters were rarely seen flying over the island, 
even after the young had been hatched. It might happen, however, that like 
Pterodroma neglecta, they showed themselves at daylight over Masatierra, this 
in striking contrast to the conditions on Masafuera, where a »fardela» never 
