PUFFINUS AURICULARIS. 



averaging about 5 feet in length. On Clarion Island, though the situation of the burrows 

 was similar to that on San Benedicto Island, the colonies were more extensive. Few 

 birds were seen at sea during the daytime, and those that visited the nests at night were 

 much more silent than P. opisthomelas, but the cry of the two birds was very much alike 

 (Auk, 1900, pp. 249, 250). Although observed at sea near Socorro, Mr. Anthony found 

 no trace of the birds nesting there. 



Adult female. General colour above sooty-black, the feathers of the back and 

 scapulars with obsolete narrow margins of sooty-brown ; the lower back, rump, and 

 upper tail-coverts sooty-black, but with a slight shade of ashy ; wing-coverts sooty-black, 

 like the back ; quills black, browner on the inner webs ; tail-feathers black ; head 

 and back sooty-black like the back, but more uniform than the latter, and without any 

 trace of paler edges ; lores, feathers below the eyes, and ear-coverts sooty -black, with 

 a white mark below the eye ; cheeks and entire under-surface of body pure white, 

 with a few tiny streaks or spots of black on the cheeks and sides of the throat ; the 

 fore-neck mottled with black, the feathers being black or ashy-black, with 

 white edges where the white under-surface is separated from the black back ; a 

 black patch on the lower flanks above the thigh ; under tail-coverts sooty-black, 

 the central ones near the vent being tipped or mottled with white at the ends ; 

 under wing-coverts white, with a moderately distinct black bar, formed by the 

 marginal coverts round the edge of the wing, these feathers being white with a black 

 shaft-streak and black outer web ; lower primary-coverts also white, with a black 

 outer web ; axillaries pure white ; quills dusky below, slightly more ashy on the 

 inner webs. Total length about 13.5 inches ; culmen, 1.25 ; wing, 8.8 ; tail, 2.95 ; 

 tarsus, 1.8 ; middle toe and claw, 1.95. 



Adult male. Similar to the female in colour. Total length 13.5 inches ; culmen, 

 1.35 ; wing, 9.2 ; tail, 3.15 ; tarsus, 1.8 ; middle toe and claw, 2.0. 



There seems to be no difference in the sexes as regards colour or markings in adult 

 birds, but both the females examined have narrow white fringes to the outer greater 

 wing-coverts, which may be a sign of immaturity. They also have an obsolete 

 brown margin to some of the feathers of the back, probably due to worn plumage. 



There is, at present, no specimen of P. auricularis in the British Museum, but I 

 am indebted to the Hon. Walter Rothschild for the loan of the three specimens 

 in his collection. Salvin came to the conclusion that the bill and feet were smaller 

 in P. auricularis than in P. opisthomelas, but that there is not much difference in the 

 latter is proved by the following measurements of the specimens in the Rothschild 

 Collection : — 



Middle too 

 and claw. 



2.0 

 1.8 



113 





Wing. 



Culmen. 



Tarsus. 



$ Clarion Island 



9.2 



1.35 



1.8 



JJ 5J < 



9.0 



1.2 



1.65 



