The Pink-footed Shearwater 



the home "cabinet," picked up all sorts of curious looking fowls as they 

 rounded Cape Horn, and turned them in at their destination, Monterey or 

 Astoria, as the case might be. The home folks acclaimed these memen- 

 toes of the mysterious wonderland of the West, and labeled them "Cali- 

 fornia." On the other hand, the Tube-noses are the earth's great 

 wanderers; and an Albatross or a "Cape Pigeon," setting out without chart 

 or compass from some distant Antarctic rock which gave him birth, is 

 liable to turn up most anywhere from Godhaven to Urup (Id.). The 

 truth regarding the individual case lies now here, now there. A specimen 

 of the Pintado Petrel is said by Lawrence to have been taken by Colonel 

 Pike "off Monterey." Perhaps it was; though how far off, deponent 

 sayeth not. 



The Checkered Petrel is among the most active and best known 

 birds of its kind, while its highly variegated black and white plumage 

 renders it the most conspicuous of the entire group. 



No. 405 



Pink-footed Shearwater 



A. O. U. No. 91. Puffinus creatopus Coues. 



Description. — Upperparts sooty slate, blackening on wings and tail, varied by 

 lighter or whitish edging, in coarse pattern on back, shading broadly on sides of neck 

 and sides; under tail-coverts uniform sooty; remaining underparts white, purest cen- 

 trally, dusky encroaching variously on tips of feathers, especially on sides of throat and 

 lower belly; (immature?) lining of wings white mottled with sooty, the axillars chiefly 

 sooty; no white on inner webs of primaries. Bill pale yellowish flesh-color, blackening 

 on nasal tube, culmen, and tip; feet flesh-colored, more livid than in carneipes; nails 

 whitish with brown tips. Length (av. of 10 Monterey specimens) 460 (18.11); wing 

 325 (12.79); bill, length 42.6 (1.68); depth at base 16.6 (.65); tarsus 54.3 (2.14). 



Recognition Marks. — Crow size, but appearing gull size; the commonest of 

 the larger "black-and-white" shearwaters, much larger than P. opisthomelas. 



Nesting. — Undescribed. 



General Range. — Eastern Pacific Ocean, from the Juan Fernandez Islands 

 (Chile) north, commonly, to Monterey, and rarely (?) to coast of Washington. 



Occurrence in California. — Abundant forager at varying distances off-shore, 

 north commonly to Monterey and more rarely (?) to Pt. Arenas. Occurs casually in 

 February and commonly from May to November, often in mixed flocks with P. opis- 

 thomelas, P. grisens, etc. 



Authorities. — Coues {Puffinus creatopus), Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., vol. 

 xvi., 1864, p. 131 (orig. desc. ; type locality, San Nicholas Id.); Willett, Pac. Coast 

 Avifauna, no. 7, 1912, p. 18 (status off coast of s. Calif.); Oberholser, Auk, vol. xxxiv., 

 1917, p. 471 (syst. ; nomencl.) ; Loomis, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, vol. ii., pt. 2, no. 

 12, 1918, p. 109 (crit.; syst.). 



I996 



