380 



THE TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS — TUBINARES. 



brought it do^vii. The yacht was put about, aiul I was on the point of laying hands on the prize, 

 when it suddenly started up, and was gone — much to my chagrin. Soon, however, I saw a simi- 

 lar one flying about in company with several of the common Shearwaters. It presently came 

 near, and was shot, proving to be a Cory's Shearwater. This was enough to keep me on the look- 

 out for more ; and when about half way in to land, another came scaling along over the water, 

 and was also secured. These were all that I saw. One of the fishermen to whom I showed 

 the birds reported having seen a few others the next day. This, however, may be open to some 

 doubt. 



" In habits they perfectly resemble the other species, but are readily distinguished from P. major 

 by their lighter colors and conspicuously large yellow bill. They are very tame, and when engaged 

 in feeding may almost be run down by a boat. Considerable effort is shown in rising from the 

 water ; but when once a-wing, they fly with great swiftness. 



" Nothing is known of them by the fishermen, who perhaps overlook them among the thousands 

 of the other commoner varieties. Specimens were first taken by Mr. Charles B. Cory in nearly the 

 same locality where mine were captured, and were described by him in the 'Bulletin' of Aj^ril, 

 1881." 



Puffinus major. 



THE GREATER SHEARWATER. 



Procellaria puffinus, Kuhl, Beitr. Zoob 1820, 146, pi. 11, fig. 10 (not of BriJNN, 1764). 



Puffinus major, Faber, Prodr. Isl. Orn. 1822, 56. — Bonap. Consp. II. 1856, 203. — Laavr. in Baird's 

 B. N. Am. 1858, 833. — Baird, Cat. N. Am. B. 1859, no. 647. — CouES, Key, 1872, 331; Check 

 List, 1873, no. 597; ed. 2, 1882, no. 832. — Ridgw. Nom. N. Am. B. 1881, no. 709. 



Puffinus cincreus, Bonap. Synop. 1828, 370, no. 311 (not of Cuvier, ex Kuhl). — Nutt. Man. II. 

 1834, 334. —AuD. Orn. Biog. III. 1835, 555 ; B. Am. VII. 1844, 212, pb 456. 



Hab. Atlantic Ocean generally, but more particularly north of the equator ; south to Cape of 

 Good Hope and Cape Horn. 



Sp. Char. Adult : Pileum, down to below the eyes, and upper parts generally, sooty gray- 

 ish brown, the first uniform, but the feathers of the back, lump, the scapulars, wing-coverts, and 



upper tail-coverts with considerably lighter 

 terminal margins ; nape lighter grayish brown 

 than the pileum ; primaries and tail uniform 

 dusky ; longer upper tail-coverts mostly 

 white, their bases irregularly marked with 

 grayish brown. Lower parts white, the ab- 

 domen more or less clouded with light gray- 

 ish brown, the sides irregularly, but sparsely, 

 marked with a darker shade of the same, the 

 flanks and crissum nearly uniform grayish 

 brown (sometimes much mixed with white). 

 Bill brownish dusky ; legs and feet pale 

 brownish, in the dried skin, the outer side 

 of the tarsus and outer toe dusky.^ 



Wing, 11.50-13.00 inches; culmen, 1.80- 

 1.85 ; depth of bill through base, .60-65 ; 

 tarsus, 2.20-2.25 ; middle toe, 2.40-2.50. 



Specimens from both sides of the North 

 Atlantic are quite identical, and we can 

 discover nothing peculiar in an example 

 (No, 15541; T. R. Peale) from Tierra del 

 Fuego. 



^ " Bill yellowish green, the tips brownish black, tinged with green. Edges of eyelids dark gray; iris 

 brown. Feet light greenish gray, webs and claws yellowisli flesh-color" (Audubon). 



