KERMADEC PETREL. 437 



tips giving a finely barred appearance, feathers of sides of upper - 

 breast usually with broadish smoky-brown tips and these some- 

 times extend right across lower -throat and form a more or less 

 broad band, in those with practically uniform sooty-brown under - 

 parts (including under tail- and wing-coverts), white proximal 

 portions of feathers are not everywhere concealed and are usually 

 exposed on chin ; flanks in " white " examples more or less marked 

 sooty -brown ; under tail-coverts in " white " examples with basal 

 halves white and distal portions sooty-brown (sometimes tipped 

 white) or mottled and barred with brown, shorter feathers mostly 

 white mottled with brown at tips ; axillaries and under wing- 

 coverts with sooty-brown and white varying greatly in distribution ; 

 tail-feathers sooty black-brown with white bases ; primaries and 

 secondaries with black- brown outer webs and about distal quarter 

 of shafts and inner webs, rest of shafts white (sometimes tinged 

 straw-colour) and inner webs white which often extends towards 

 tip in a wedge ; wing -coverts as rest of upper -parts. Of many 

 December examples examined two only were moulting and in body 

 only, one March moulting body and tail. Loomis* states that two 

 in Oct. were in full moult. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) Down varies from pure white to 

 dark grey (T. Iredale, Ibis, 1914, p. 429). 



Juvenile.- — One not quite full grown is exactly like a dark adult. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 288-300 mm., tail 100- 

 110, tarsus 38-43, middle toe with claw 50-56, bill from feathers 

 30-33 (12 measured). $ wing 280-296, tarsus 37-41, bill 29-32. 

 Primaries : 1st minute, about three -fourths primary- coverts, 

 2nd longest, 3rd 2-7 mm. shorter, 4th 14-20 shorter, 5th 27-38 

 shorter, 6th 48-60 shorter ; 2nd with outer web much narrower 

 than in rest. Outermost secondaries shorter than 10th and inner- 

 most between 8th and 9th primaries. Tail rounded, 12 feathers, 

 tips rounded, outermost pair 10-15 mm. shorter than central pair ; 

 longest under tail -coverts nearly as long and upper ones about two- 

 thirds as long as tail. Tarsus rather slender, not compressed. Three 

 toes long and slender and fully webbed, claws sharp and arched, 

 hind toe minute, free and with comparatively large claw. Bill in 

 general shape like Puffinus puffinus, but much shorter and deeper, 

 curved tips of mandibles much larger and more curved. Nostril 

 tubes shorter, higher, nearer together with one covering not divided 

 by ridge of culmen, apertures oval and opening abruptly forwards 

 and slightly inwards, but not so inclined upwards as in Puffinus. 



Soft parts. — Bill black ; legs and feet varying greatly both 

 dark and light birds having uniform black legs and feet or " san- 

 dalled " or light legs (T. Iredale) ; iris dark hazel. 



Characters. — No subspecies. Distinguished from other Pterodroma 

 on the British list by larger size, white inner webs of wing -feathers 

 and dark upper tail -coverts. 



* L. M. Loomis, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., 4th Series, vol. n, pt. n, p. 103. 



