456 Mr. D. A. Bannerman on the Distribution of 



ornithologists — the first" by Godman, who spent a month 

 in the spring of 1865 exploring the islancls_, and the second 

 by Ogilvie- Grant, who remained in the group from 

 February 26 until June 2, 1903. Godman did not meet 

 with the bird at all, and does not include it in his list "^. 

 Ogilvie-Grant, however, established the species without 

 doubt as an inhabitant of the Azores, and obtained an 

 adult male on Praya Island (Graciosa) on April 25, while 

 he also identified a bird of this species in the Ponta Delgada 

 jMuseum, marked Ponta Delgada, San Miguel. While yet 

 another specimen was " picked up dead on June the 1st at 

 Villa Islet, Santa Maria." 



Mr. Ogilvie-Grant remarks that "at this season (beginning 

 of June) the birds had not commenced to breed, and all their 

 nesting-holes on that breeding-station were empty. The 

 fishermen knew the bird well, and Senhor Joao S. G. da 

 Camara kindly promised to procure specimens later on and 

 forward them to England in spirits. This he did, the birds 

 having been obtained in September." These specimens were 

 obtained on Villa Islet, Santa Maria. It does not appear, 

 therefore, that 0. castro resorts in the spring to breed in the 

 Azores, but it is quite possible that the birds arrived at their 

 breeding-holes late in June, after Mr. Grant had left the 

 group. A great deal more evidence is required before we 

 can make any satisfactory deductions. 



Dr. P. R. Lowe, during his visit on the 22nd of May, 1907, 

 notes that 0. castro was noticed in numbers, when 230 miles 

 west of S. Miguel. The following day (May 23) the birds 

 followed the yacht until within sight of Ponta Delgada. 



Breeding range in the Madeira Group. 



Oceanodroma castro breeds on all the islands of this group 

 without exception, including as it does, Madeira, the three 

 islands of theDesertas, and Porto Santo, with their outlying 

 rocks and small islets. 



An examination of the appended table which I have 



* ' Ibis,' 1866, p. 88 ; also Nat. Hist, of Azores. 



