148 BULLETIN 121, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



stated in my account of that bird. Both are apparently only sub- 

 species of the Leach petrel. This shifting of names will lead to much 

 confusion, but is a necessary correction of an evident error. Much 

 has been written about the Kaeding petrel which must now be applied 

 to the newer name. 



Nesting. — The main breeding grounds of the Beal petrel seem to be 

 on the islands included in the reservations off the coast of Washing^- 

 ton, with a decided center of abundance in the Quillayute Needles. On 

 one island in this group Mr. William L. Dawson (1908) estimated 

 that there were about 40,000 of these petrels breeding; he estimated 

 that there were somewhere between 55,000 and 100,000 of them breed- 

 ing in the whole reservation. Mr. Dawson has kindly sent me the 

 following interesting notes, describing his visit to the Quillayute 

 Needles, on July 20, 1906 : 



At 11.30 a party comprised of Mr. Albert Reagan, Mr. Herring, and myseli 

 set out for the Quillayute Needles. The fog had cleared and the day was fine, 

 but It was found feasible to visit only one df the islets, the western one oif a 

 central pair dubbed Huntington Rock upon the chart, but linown to the Indians 

 as Dhuoyuatzachtajil, or The Rock; Where One Catches Petrels ; but we found 

 plenty to ^interest us here. 



The rock is about 100 feet high, precipitous on three sides, but sloping and 

 climbable on the south. The top has an area of something over an acre, and 

 is rather unique for the abundance and uniformity of a rank grass which occu- 

 pies the greater portion centrally. This grass has a triangular blade; i. e., 

 with a stoutly projecting midrib, and grows to a height of two and a half feet, 

 it^ roots being emit)edded in a covering of its own waste to a depth of six or 

 eight inches more. Circling about the central bed was a border of turf all about 

 the edges of the islet, while a narrow stretch of dwarf salmon-berry bushes 

 occupied the extreme crest of the slope upon the north. 



Upon arrival our attention was immediately called to the tiny entrances of 

 the petrel burrows in the turf, and we promptly fell to digging. There was 

 sufficient slope to the ground to afford thft tenants a little start downward when 

 they emerged from their holes, but the tunnels were seldom driven Into the 

 bank. Rather they pierced the turf, then ran under it horizontally at a depth 

 of two or three inches and for a distance of from two to three feet. It proved 

 to be easiet to insert the hand and to rip the hole up from the inside than to 

 dig through the turf with the shovel. Since a fair proportion of the nests con- 

 tained, eggs, I enlisted the help of my companions and we soon ripped up fifty 

 nests. Of these 18 contained eggs, aU buj; one being heavily set. Of the remain- 

 der all contained young except tw6, in which were two adults, doubtless male 

 and female enjoying a belated honeymoon. This yoUng varied in age from 

 just hatched to a week or two old, the older ones In every case being accom- 

 panied by the parent bird. 



When released the parent birds appeared dazed, but made off with a jerky 

 batlike flight to sea, with one exception, a bird which took a couple of turns 

 above the island before launching out. If placed upon the ground, however, 

 the bird usually poked about the grass in a nearsighted way looking for a hole, 

 and did not scruple to enter the home of a neighbor rather than remain under 

 surveillance. Or, again, the bird crept, half fluttered down hill for two 

 or three feet and then launched out to sea. After having waded through the 



