PUFFINUS CARNEIPES. 



procured specimens on Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island (Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. 

 Mils., XXV., p. 386 ; North, Rec. Austr. Mus., V., Part 2, p. 126, 1904). 



Dr. E. P. Ramsay, who has written an account of P. carneipes (Pr. Linn. Soc. N.S. W., 

 III., p. 406, 1879), says that it represents P. tenuirostris on the coasts of New South 

 Wales and South Australia, where it is as numerous as that species in certain places. He 

 further states that these Shearwaters frequent the Solitary Islands in great numbers 

 during the breeding season, which extends from September till December. 



Sir Walter Buller relates that P. carneipes breeds in large colonies on some of the 

 small islands, and is comparatively common off the coast of New Zealand — Captain 

 Fairchild procured two living birds for him, which he found nesting on White Island 

 in the beginning of November. After the breeding season in Australia, P. carneipes 

 passes north to the seas of Japan, but has not yet been found in the intervening area, 

 nor is it known to nest in its northern habitat. Mr. Seebohm, who records its occurrence 

 in Japanese waters, observes that it is probably a non-breeding summer visitor in the 

 North Pacific, and supposing this to be correct, we may regard P. carneipes as a Petrel 

 which, like Oceanites oceanica, breeds in the southern hemisphere during our winter, 

 and visits the northern hemisphere during our summer, but in the latter instance 

 without breeding. 



The nesting habits resemble those of other species of the genus. Dr. Ramsay 

 (I. s. c), in acknowledging the receipt by the Australian Museum of a fine series of birds 

 and eggs from the Solitary Islands, gives the following notes, derived from his corres- 

 pondents : — The birds arrived early in September, and at once began excavating their 

 nesting-holes, which consisted of short burrows, about six inches in diameter, and 

 from twelve to twenty inches in length. The eggs were laid at night, but in no instance 

 was more than one obtained in a burrow. Although both sexes assisted in the 

 incubation, out of five specimens taken from the burrows, four proved to be females. 

 The birds arrived in countless thousands in the evening, and most of them — the 

 males probably, or those not engaged in hatching — returned to sea at daybreak. 



Gould says (Handb. Birds Austr., II., p. 465) that the eggs in his possession were 

 white, 2| inches in length, by nearly 2 inches in breadth. 



Dr. E. P. Ramsay states that those sent to him from South Solitary Island, near 

 Port Stephens, were mostly of an oval form, and measured 2.33-2.47 inches in length, 

 by 1.5-1.7 inch in breadth, and were of a smooth, fine grain. One specimen, sent by 

 Mr. McLeod, was more pointed at the thin end, and had very light brown irregular 

 blotches at the thicker end. The shell was slightly different in texture, and the egg 

 might have belonged to a species of Tern, but it was undoubtedly taken from one of 

 the Petrel's burrows. 



Adult. General colour above sooty-black, with faintly indicated edgings of 

 lighter ashy-brown ; the longer scapulars rather blacker than the back, resembling 

 the wing-coverts and quills, which are also somewhat blacker than the dorsal region ; 



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