The Fork-tailed Petrel 



Nesting. — Does not breed in California. Nests in colonies, depositing single 

 egg at end of burrow under tussock of grass, high up on mountain side (Macquarie 

 Island). Egg: White. Av. size 69.85 x 50.8 (2.75 x 2.00). 



General Range. — Southern oceans. 



Occurrence in California. — One record, off coast of Monterey, some seventy 

 years ago. Specimen now in Am. Mus. Nat. Hist., New York. 



Authorities. — Lawrence (Procellaria haesitata), Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist., New 

 York, vi., 1853, p. 5 (specimen obtained off Monterey) ; Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway, 

 Water Birds N. Amer., vol. ii., 1884, p. 375; Beck, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, iii., 

 1910, p. 66; Loomis, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., ser. 4, vol. ii., pt. 2, no. 12, 1918, p. 108 

 (Calif, occurrence). 



THERE ARE doubtless more fish in the sea than have ever been 

 caught; but your scientist cares nothing for their quantity. It's quality 

 he's after, and he'd give his galluses for a new species, or even, sometimes, 

 for a new record. 



Lawrence's record of a specimen of Priofinus cinereus, taken off Mon- 

 terey, stands unquestioned and unduplicated. The bird is an inhabitant 

 of southern oceans; and although it has been seen to the number of hun- 

 dreds of thousands at once off Tierra del Fuego, its range is still imper- 

 fectly made out and its eggs are unknown. 



No. 412 



Fork-tailed Petrel 



A. O. U. No. 105. Oceanodroma furcata (Gmelin). 



Synonym. — Gray Fork-tailed Petrel. 



Description. — Adult: Bluish ash, lightening below and on greater wing- 

 coverts, palest, to whitish, on throat and under tail-coverts; greater wing-coverts 

 and tertials tipped with white; secondaries broadly edged with white; lesser wing- 

 coverts, edge of wing, and exposed primaries dusky; inner webs of primaries lighter 

 ash to whitish, and outer web of outer tail-feather definitely white; a dusky patch 

 about eye. Bill and feet black. Length 203.2-228.6 (8.00-9.00); wing 152. 4-165. 1 

 (6.00-6.50); tail 101.6 (4.00); forked about 25.4 (1.00); bill 15.2 (.60); tarsus 21.6 (.85). 



Recognition Marks. — Towhee size, but appearing more like Nighthawk; ashy 

 blue coloration distinctive. 



Nesting. — Egg: Subelliptical; pure white or with ring of reddish brown dots 

 about larger end; placed at end of small burrow in earth-bank. Av. of 5 California- 

 taken specimens: 31.75 x 24.4 (1.25 x .96). Season: June. 



General Range.- — North Pacific Ocean and adjacent portion of Arctic Ocean. 

 Breeds from Commander and Aleutian Islands south to islands off northwestern coast 

 of California. Wanders (?) north to Kotzebue Sound, Alaska, and south to southern 

 California. 



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