42. PUFFINUS OBSCURUS (Gm.). 



(DUSKY SHEARWATER.) 



(Plate 34.) 



Dusky Petrel, Lath., Gen. Syn., III., pt. 2, p. 416 (1785). 



Procellaria obscura, Gm., Syst. Nat., I., p. 559 (1788). 



Pufjinus baroli* Temm., fide Bonellii in Mus. Taurin (1820) ; Bp., Consp. Av., II., p. 204 



(1856) ; id., Comptes Rend., XLII., p. 769 (1856) ; Salvad., Faun, d'ltal., Ucc, 



pp. 299, 300 (1872) ; id., Ibis, 1899, p. 541. 

 Pufjinus obscurus, Steph. in Shaw's Gen. Zool., XIII. , p. 230 (1826) ; Salvin, Cat. 



Birds Brit. Mus., XXV., p. 382 (1896). 

 Nectris obscura, Keys, and Bias., Wirb. Eur., pp. xciv., 239 (1840). 

 Pufjinus dichrous, Finsch and Hartl., Faun. Central Polyn., p. 244 (1867). 

 Pufjinus opisthomelas var. minor, Hartl., P. Z. S., 1867, p. 832. 

 Pufflnus opisthomelas (nee Coues) ; Finsch and Hartl., P. Z. S., 1868, pp. 9, 118. 

 Puffinus obscurus obscurus, Rothsch. and Hartert, Nov. Zool., VI., p. 194 (1899). 



Minor : ala 6.5-8.1 poll. : subcaudalibus albis, lateralibus fumoso-brunneis : axillaribus 

 albis : primariis intus fuscescentibus, minime albis. 



The range of this species extends from the islands of the Pacific Ocean to the Mascarene 

 Islands. I have been unable to find any distinguishing characters between specimens 

 from Samoa and the Pelew Islands, and those from the Seychelles and Reunion. It is 

 possible that the colour of the bill and feet in the birds from these distant localities may 

 prove different, but there is at present no evidence to this effect. 



P. obscurus is one of the smaller Shearwaters, having a wing less than 9 inches in 

 length. The under tail-coverts are sometimes pure white, with only the lateral ones 

 blackish {e.g., examples from Reunion, Aneiteum, New Zealand) ; but they are 

 generally dusky-black, with the central patch of coverts white, or white, more or 

 less shaded with dusky-black. The colour of the under tail-coverts resembles that of 

 P. gavia and P. persicus, but from these two species P. obscurus is distinguished by its 

 white axillaries. 



The type of Latham's " Dusky Petrel " was in the British Museum in 1785. He 



* Count Salvadori has recently informed me that P. baroli, Temm., is a synonym of the present 

 species and not of P. yelkouanus, to which I had united it (vide supra, p. 107). 



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