MONOGRAPH OF THE PETRELS. 



The present species was described by the late Dr. Elliot Coues from, a specimen 

 from the Farallon Islands in the U.S. National Museum. 



It was also supposed to occur off the coast of California, but at the date of Baird, 

 Brewer, and Ridgway's " Water Birds," only one genuine capture had been recorded, 

 viz., a specimen from San Miguel Island in the collection of Mr. H. W. Henshaw. This 

 example, which is now in the British Museum, was given to Mr. Henshaw by Captain 

 Forney, who stated that the species bred on San Miguel in great numbers. It is now 

 known to breed on the Santa Barbara Islands and the Farallones (A. 0. U. Checkl., 

 2nd Ed., p. 37, 1895). 



In the last-named locality it has been observed nesting by Mr. Loomis (Pr. Calif. 

 Acad. Sci. (2), VI., p. 361), and by Mr. Milton S. Ray (Auk, 1904, p. 436). The latter 

 gentleman visited the islands early in June, 1904, but found only eggs of the previous 

 year, as the birds had apparently not begun to lay at the time of his visit. 



Mr. Ray writes : — " We saw little of these Petrels except at night, when they 

 fluttered about, or on our daily rambles, when we spied their dark forms in some narrow 

 crevice in the ledges or rock-fences. On being lifted in the hand, a dark oily fluid would 

 drip from their beaks, and, when released, these birds, with the form and wavy flight of a 

 Swallow, would make for the open sea. We noticed a number of these dainty little birds 

 which had been killed by striking the telephone and telegraph wires on the island." 



Mr. Loomis gives an interesting note of the nesting of the Ashy Petrels on South 

 Farallon Island in July. The birds were active at night, but were not in evidence during 

 the day, for the brooding birds were concealed in loose piles of stones, in stone walls, 

 and under driftwood. The flight resembled that of a Goatsucker. Sometimes the 

 Petrels' nests were within reach, but more often the rocks had to be removed to get at 

 them. When uncovered, they generally shrank away as far as they could, but 

 occasionally one would remain on the eggs. When tossed into the air, they flew without 

 difficulty (cf. Loomis, I.e., p. 262). 



Adidt male. General colour above sooty-black, with a distinct plumbeous gloss ; 

 head like the back ; under-surface of body somewhat paler and more sooty-brown ; 

 the throat decidedly plumbeous-grey ; lesser and median wing-coverts black, the greater 

 series externally ashy-brown, forming an inconspicuous wing-patch ; primary-coverts 

 and quills black, the innermost secondaries paler, and externally ashy-brown like the 

 greater coverts ; tail-feathers black ; under wing-coverts sooty-brown, slightly darker 

 than the breast, the median series shaded with hoary- white ; quills dusky black 

 below ; the greater coverts and quill-lining somewhat inclining to ashy-black. Total 

 length, about 7.6 inches; culmen, 0.6; wing, 5.1 ; tail, 3.0; central rectrices, 2.1. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, but with the hoary-white edgings to the 

 greater wing-coverts more distinct, but the greyish shade on the under wing-ooverts not 

 so pronounced. Wing, 5.5 inches ; tarsus, 0.85 ; middle toe and claw, 0.95. The 

 female was killed on the 22nd April, and the male on the 10th July, and the former is 



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