OCEANODROMA MELANIA. 



by its shorter and thicker bill, and from O. monorhis and 0. homochroa by its larger 

 size. 



A comparison of the measurements of 0. melania and O. monorhis is given under 

 the heading of the latter species. 



O. melania has been chiefly found among the islands off Lower California. Thus, 

 in addition to the specimens procured by the late John Xantus off Cape St. Lucas, 

 it has been recorded by Dr. J. G. Cooper from the vicinity of the Santa Barbara 

 Islands (Auk, 1887, p. 87). On the Coronado Islands it has been found nesting sparingly 

 on North and Middle Islands by Messrs. Grinnell and Daggett (Auk, 1903, p. 31), and 

 by Mr. Anthony on the San Benito Islands (Condor, II., p. 28). 



Dr. C. H. Townsend met with this Storm-Petrel off Acapulco, Western Mexico ; 

 and Mr. Nelson recorded it as common, together with other small black 

 Petrels, between Isabel Island and the Tres Marias group. Mr. W. W. Bailey observed 

 it plentifully between the coast of Mexico and the Tres Marias. Although he found no 

 eggs when visiting the last-named islands in June, 1905, he received information which 

 induced him to believe that these birds bred on the lower end of Maria Cleofa, and 

 on White Rock later in the season (Auk, 1906, p. 378). 



Mr. Nelson, in his account of the voyage of the " Corwin " (p. 113), records 

 O. melania from more northern latitudes than have hitherto been considered to form 

 its habitat. He writes : — "As we left the Aleutian Islands on our way to San Francisco 

 in October, and thence on for several hundred miles, a large black Petrel was repeatedly 

 seen. The size of this bird would indicate that it was the species mentioned above, 

 though no specimen was secured. It was repeatedly noticed along with Leach's Petrel 

 and the Fork-tailed Petrel, and thus excellent opportunities were afforded for judging 

 its relative size." Mr. Nelson, not having obtained a specimen, the identification 

 of the species must remain in abeyance, but I am inclined to think that it would have 

 been 0. tristrami (the so-called 0. fuliginosa) rather than 0. melania, which occurred so 

 far north. 



On San Benito Island Mr. Anthony found both O. melania and 0. socorroensis 

 breeding, but the latter had young birds when 0. melania had only eggs in the nest 

 (Condor, II., p. 28). 



Eggs presented by Mr. A. W. Anthony from San Benito Island are in the British 

 Museum collection. They are pure white, with scarcely a trace of any reddish 

 speckling. Axis, 1.4 inch ; diam., 1.05. 



Adult male. General colour sooty-black, with a light shade of plumbeous-grey ; 

 wing-coverts and scapulars black, the latter edged at the tip with whity-brown ; lesser 

 and median wing-coverts black, paler brown externally, edged with whity-brown ; 

 primary-coverts and quills black ; tail-feathers black ; head and neck, as well as the 

 throat, sooty-black, with a more distinct shade of plumbeous ; rest of under-surface of 

 body sooty chocolate-brown, including the under tail-coverts and under wing-coverts 



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