PBOCBLLAEIID^ 



CESTBELATA 



481 



794. (Estrelata mollis. Soft-plumaged Petrel. 



Procellaria mollis, Gould, Ann. Mag. N. H. xiii, p. 363 (1844) ; id, B. 



Ausir. vii, pi. 50 (1848). 

 Estrelata moUis, Shwrpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 766 (1884) ; Salvin, 



Cat. B. M. XXV, p. 406 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 167 (1896) ; 



Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 27 (1900) ; ParUn, Ibis, 1900, p. 675 ; 



Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 204. 



Description. Adult. — General colour above slaty-grey, rather 

 darker on the head and wings which are almost black ; tail like the 

 back, the lateral feathers slightly freckled with white ; forehead and 

 lores mottled with white ; a black patch in front of and below the 

 eye ; sides of the neck and cheeks freckled grey and white ; below 

 white throughout with a band of slaty-grey, sometimes not quite 

 complete across the chest ; under wing-coverts and under surface 

 of the wing-quills very dark brown ; under tail-coverts very long, 

 reaching the end of the tail-feathers. 



Fig. 148.— Head of (Estrelata mollis. 



Iris and bill black ; tarsus and proximal portion of the toes flesh- 

 coloured, distal portion and webs black. 



Length (in flesh) 14'0 ; wing 10-0 ; tail 4-5 ; culmen 1-4 ; tarsus 

 1-3 ; middle toe 1'56. 



Distribution. — The Soffc-plumaged Petrel is found throughout the 

 Southern Ocean down to about the 50th parallel ; in the Atlantic it 

 crosses the line and is found as far north as Madeira. 



This Petrel is not uncommon in the Cape seas, especially off 

 the south-eastern coast of Cape Colony. In the South African 

 Museum there is an old mounted example obtained by Mr. Layard 

 in 31° S. lat. 26° E. long., off the coast of Pondoland, as well as a 

 pair recently obtained, in June, 1902, at Port St. John's, by Mr. 

 31 VOI-. IV. 



