26. PUFFINUS LEUCOMELAS (Temm.J. 



(STREAKED SHEARWATER.) 

 (Plate 21.) 



Procellaria leucomelas, Temm., PI. Col., V., pi. 587 (1836) ; Schl., Mus. Pays-Bas, VI., 



Procell., p. 24 (1863). 

 Puffinus leucomelas, Lesson, Compl. Buff. Ois., p. 711 (1838) ; Salvad., Orn. Papuasia, 



III., p. 461 (1882) ; Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXV., p. 370 (1896). 

 Thiellus leucomelas, Bp., Compt. Rend., XLIL, p. 769 (1856). 

 Nectris leucomela, Bp., Consp. Av., II., p. 203 (1856). 

 ? Procellaria leucoptera, Musschenbroek, Nat. Tijdsk. Nederl. Ind., XXXVI., p. 379 



(1876). 



Cauda longa, euneata : notsei plumis brunneis, albo marginatis : pilei plumis nigris, 

 albo marginatis, quasi nigro striatis. 



This Shearwater is easily recognised by its plumage, which is more variegated than is 

 usual in the genus Puffinus, the head being streaked or spotted with black and white. 



The range of P. leucomelas extends from Corea and the Japanese Islands, south 

 to the Malayan Archipelago and New Guinea. Its breeding-place has not been 

 discovered, but it must be somewhere in the North Pacific. 



The Howard Saunders Collection in the British Museum contains a specimen from 

 Port Hamilton, in Corea, obtained by Mr. G. Stephen in May, 1885 ; and numerous 

 examples from the Japanese Islands are in the National Collection. The Seebohm Bequest 

 added to the Museum a good series of P. leucomelas from Yokohama, obtained by the late 

 Harry Pryer, and from Hakodate, collected by Henson (Seebohm, Ibis, 1884, p. 176) 

 and by Blakiston, on the 19th of May, 1880 (Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXV., 

 p. 370). 



Temminck described this Shearwater from specimens sent to the Leyden Museum 

 by Mr. Berger, who stated that it was common in the seas of Japan. Professor 

 Giglioli states that during the voyage of the " Magenta " this species followed the 

 vessel continuously from the 26th of June, 1866, in Lat. 29° 1' N, Long. 126° 56' E., 



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