400 



THE TUBE-NOSED SWIMMERS — TUBINARES. 



In 1850 a correspouclent of mine — Dr. Frere, of London — sent me a number of 

 fine specimens of the eggs of tliis species procured on tlie group of small islands 

 near Madeira known as the Desertas. He informed me that they had been taken in 

 burrows made by the bird in the soft earth under overlying bowlder-rocks, and in deep 

 crevices in the cliffs. The eggs are of an oblong oval shape, of nearly equal size at 

 either end, pure Avhite in color, and measure about 1.65 inches in length by 1.20 in 

 breadth. They are variable in size, differing in length from 1.59 to 1.7G inches, and 

 in breadth from 1.17 to 1.23. 



Genus DAPTION, Stephens. 

 Daption, Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool. XIII. 1825, 239 (type, ProccUaria capaisis, Linn.). 



Char. Size meciiiun ; bill shorter than the tarsus, depressed, its lateral outlines somewhat 

 convex, the mandibular rami widely separated and bowed outward, the intervening space occupied 

 by a naked, somewhat distensible skin ; nasal case about three fourths as long as the unguis, 

 depressed, except anteriorly, its upper outline gently but decidedly concave ; separated from the 

 unguis by a space equal to about two thirds the length of the case. Plumage spotted with white 

 and dusky above, inunaculate wliite beluw. 



A single species, the well-known " Cape Pigeon," or " Pintado," constitutes this very distinct 

 genus. 



Daption capensis. 



THE PINTADO PETREL; CAPE PIGEON. 



ProccUaria capensis, Linn. S. N. ed. 10, I. 1758, 132 ; ed. 12, I. 1766, 213. 



Daption ca2)cnsis, Stephens, Shaw's Gen. Zool. XIII. 1825, 241. — Bonap. Consp. II. 1856, 188. — 



Lawr. in Baivd's B. N. Am. 1858, 828. — Baird, Cat. K Am. B. 1859, no. 639. — Coues, Pr. 



Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1866, 162 ; Key, 1872, 328 ; Check List, 1873, no. 684. — Kidgw. Nom, 



N. Am. B. 1881, no. 719. 

 Baptium, capense, Coues, 2d Check List, 1882, no. 818. 

 ProccUaria nmvia, Briss. Orn. VI. 1760, 146, no. 3. 

 ProccUaria punctata, Ellman, Zool. 1861, 7473. 



Hab. Oceans of the southern hemisphere ; accidental on coast of California ? 



Sp. Char. Adult : Lower parts (except sides of throat and chin), rump, upper tail-coverts, 



basal two thirds of the tail, the greater portion of the 

 scapulars and secondaries, white ; the back, rumj), upper 

 tail-coverts, and scapulars marked with deltoid spots of 

 dark sooty plumbeous. Head and neck (except middle 

 of the throat), uniform dark sooty plumbeous ; Avings 

 chiefly sooty plumbeous, the inner primary coverts and 

 inner webs of the primaries chiefly white, and the cov- 

 erts, with much white at their bases, chiefly concealed ; 

 terminal third of the tail uniform sooty plumbeous, 

 forming a wide, sharply defined terminal zone. Bill 

 uniform deep black ; legs and feet du.sky in the dried 

 skin, the inner and middle toes apparently varied with 

 flesh-color or yellowish in life. 



Wing, 10.25-11.00 inches ; cnlmen, ahout 1.25 ; tarsus, 1.75 ; middle toe, 1.85. 



The Pintado Petrel is, without much doubt, entirely accidental on the Pacific 

 coast, if it occurs there at all, and its usual residence is the South Pacific, South 

 Atlantic oceans, and the Antarctic seas. It was added to our fauna by Mr. George 



g^pSlSi 



