PUFFINUS OBSCURUS. 



described it as follows : — " Length 13 inches. Bill, 1£ ; the sides of it horn-colour, 

 otherwise black ; in the usual place of the tube are only two small holes, serving for 

 nostrils. The point of the bill hooked ; the upper-parts of the body are dusky-black, 

 the under, white ; on the sides of the neck, brown and white mixed ; the edges of the 

 middle wing-coverts are whitish ; the legs for the most part black, except the inside, 

 which is pale the whole length ; and the two inner toes yellowish ; the webs orange- 

 colour ; claws black " (Gen. Syn., III., pt. 2, p. 416). 



The type was from Christmas Island, and was doubtless one of the birds obtained 

 during Cook's voyages, but it has now perished, like the rest of these imperfectly 

 preserved specimens. 



The so-called " Dusky " Shearwater is by no means the most dusky species of the 

 genus Pufflnus, many others having a better claim to the title. Wiglesworth, in his 

 " Aves Polynesia; " (Abhandl. K. Mus. Dresden, No. 6, 1890-91, No. 6, p. 80, 1891) gives 

 the range of P. obscurus in the Pacific Ocean as follows : — Probably throughout Polynesia. 

 Christmas Island (Latham) ; Phoenix Islands, McKean Island (Graeffe) ; Samoan 

 Islands, Manua Island (Powell) ; Ninafou (Hiibner) ; Gilbert Islands (Finsch) ; 

 Caroline Islands, Ruk, Ponape (Kubary) ; Pelew Islands (Tetens ; Kubary). 



I have examined specimens from the following localities in the British Museum : 

 Tau Island, Samoa (Mrs. T. B. Cusack-Smith ; Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXV., p. 

 384) ; Manua Island, Samoa Archipelago (Rev. T. Powell ; Salvin, I.e.) ; Pelew 

 Islands (Cohen ; Salvin, I.e.) ; Aneiteum, New Hebrides (J. Macgillivray ; Salvin, I.e.). 



This series gives the following measurements : — 



„. „ , m Middle toe 



Wing. Culmen. Tarsus. and claw 



Samoa Islands .. ..7.8—8.1 1.1 1.55—1.6 1.7—1.8 



Pelew Islands . . . . 7.3—8.0 1.0—1.1 1.45—1.5 1.65—1.85 



Aneiteum 7.7 1.2 1.6 1.8 



In all these examples the quill-lining is dusky, never white, but the inner web is 

 generally a little fighter than the outer, and somewhat more ashy-brown, though not so 

 pale as in P. bailloni ; the axillaries are pure white ; the under tail-coverts are sooty- 

 black, generally with a white apical margin, the lateral coverts sometimes parti- 

 coloured, externally sooty-black, internally white, where they adjoin the central bunch 

 of pure white under tail-coverts. 



The specimen from " New Zealand " (Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., XXV., p. 384), 

 purchased from Mr. Whitely, of Woolwich, measures : Wing, 8.2 inches ; culmen, 1.2 ; 

 tarsus, 1.65 ; middle toe and claw, 1.8. The axillaries are pure white, and the under 

 tail-coverts white, with a slight grey mottling, the lateral ones sooty-black, more or 

 less white on the inner web. 



Sir Walter Buller, in spite of his long residence in New Zealand, was unable to 

 confirm its existence there. 



In the British Museum are examples of this Shearwater from Reunion and from 



127 



