478 PEOCBLLABIID^ (ESTRELATA 



791. OEstrelata macroptera. Long-ivinged Petrel. 



Procellaria fuliginosa, [nee Gmel.) Kuhl, Beitr. p. 142 (1820). 

 Procellaria macroptera, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 52 (1840) ; 



Laya/rd, B. 8. ^l/r. p. 360 (1867; ; id. Ibis, 1867, p. 460; Butler, 



Feilden and Beid, Zool, 1882, p. 428. 

 Procellaria atlantica, Gould, Ann. Mcuj. N. H. xiii, p. 362 (1844) ; Grill, 



K. Vet. Ahad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 59 (1858). 

 ^strelata macroptera, Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr. p. 766 (1884) ; 



8ivinhurne, P. B. Phys. 8oc. IS din. ix, p. 198 (1886) ; Salvin, Ca i. 



B. M. XXV, p. 399 (1896) ; 8helley, B. Afr. i, p. 167 (1896) ; Bcichenow 



Vbg. Afr. i, p. 26 (1900) ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 204. 

 " Cape Parson " of Sailors in allusion to its dusky plumage. 



Description. Adult. — General colour above and belovir sooty 

 black, darkest on the back and wings ; a little paler on the crown 

 and below ; most of the feathers both above and below with paler 

 and in some cases white concealed bases. 



Iris grey-black ; bill and legs black. 



Length (in flesh) 16-25 ; wing 12-0 ; tail 4-5 ; culmen 1-6 ; tarsus 

 1'7 ; middle toe 2-0. 



DistribtUion. — This Petrel is found throughout the Southern 

 Ocean between about the 30th and 50th parallels. It is met with 

 on the coasts of Southern Africa and of New Zealand, but I have 

 not been able to find a reference to its occurrence on the South 

 American Coast or in the Southern Pacific. 



The Long-winged Petrel is not uncommon in the seas around 

 Cape Colony. Victorin met with it in 33° S. lat. 17° E. long, not 

 far from Table Bay, and Swinburne states that he saw a pair off 

 Duiker Point about twelve miles south of Cape Town. Mr. Brown 

 tells me he has met with only one example ; this was a wounded 

 bird and was found in, a garden in Port Elizabeth. Further east at 

 Port St. John's, Mr. Shortridge states they are sometimes blown 

 ashore after a heavy gale and two specimens obtained in June in 

 this manner are now preserved in the South African Museum in 

 addition to a third shot forty miles west of Cape Point in August 

 by Capt. Turbyne, of the Government Steam Trawler, " Pieter 

 Eaure." Capt. Eeid observed this Petrel in the Durban roadstead 

 in December. 



Habits. — Little has been noticed of special interest about the 

 habits of the Long-winged Petrel. Capt. Hutton likened it when 

 on the wing to a huge Swift, while Smith remarked that it was 

 a rare bird in the Cape seas and generally ilew low near the surface 



