LIFE HISTORIES OF NORTH AMERICAN PETRELS AND PELICANS. 65 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Breeding range. — Known to breed only on Juan Fernandez and 

 Santa Clara Islands, off the coast of Chile. 



Range. — ^Eastern portions of Pacific Ocean. North to southern 

 Alaska (Forrester Island) and south to southern Chile (San Carlos). 



Migrations. — Not well marked. Seems to be present on California 

 coast nearly every month in the year, but main northward flight 

 seems to be in summer and fall. 



Egg dates. — Juan Fernandez Islands: Four records, December 12 

 and 15 and January 19 and 31. 



ARDENNA GRAVIS (O'Reilly). 



GREATER SHEARWATER. 



HABITS. 



Contributed hy Charles 'Wendell Townsend. 



To the bird student who rarely ventures from the beaches or shel- 

 tered bays out onto the unprotected ocean a glimpse of a shearwater — 

 the hag, hagdon, or hagdown of sailors — is most unusual. In 

 easterly storms, however, these birds may sometimes be seen close to 

 our Atlantic shore and I have seen them fly within a stone's throw of 

 Ipswich beach. Under ordinary conditions, however, they are not 

 often found less than 5 miles from land. Graceful birds they are 

 and well do they deserve their name, for on nimble wing they are ever 

 on the alert to cut or sJiear the water in their search for food. 



The largest number I ever saw was on a July day on the Labrador 

 coast between Battle and Spear Harbors. The wind was strong on 

 shore, bringing in wisps and clouds of fog from the numerous ice- 

 bergs which beset the coast. At first our steamer disturbed from the 

 water groups of fifty to a hundred shearwaters, but, as we pushed 

 north, larger and larger flocks arose and flew outside until we had 

 seen at least ten thousand of these splendid birds. The great flock 

 extended for several miles along the rugged coast and with the ex- 

 ception of three sooty shearwaters all were the greater species. 



Nesting. — ^As there are no authentic records of the breeding of 

 this abundant bird in the northern hemisphere, as specimens taken 

 here in the summer show no evidence of breeding, and as it has been 

 found in southern seas, there is reason to believe that, like the Wil- 

 son petrel, it breeds in the Antarctic summer, our winter, and comes 

 north during our summer, the antipodal winter. As yet, however, 

 its breeding place has not been found. 



[Author's note. — Since Doctor Townsend wrote this life history, 

 Eev. F. C. E. Jourdain has sent me the following notes, which con- 



