438 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Breeding-habits. — Iredale describes this variable species as breed- 

 ing all over Sunday Island on the ground (not in burrows) but 

 generally under shelter of fern or cover of some kind. One egg 

 only is laid, on Sunday Island from mid- October onward, but on 

 Meyer Island from February to April. 



Food. — No definite records. 



Distribution. — England. — One. Male found dead near Tarporley 

 (Cheshire), April 1, 1908 (ut supra). 



Distribution. — Abroad. — South Pacific Ocean, breeding Kermadec 

 Islands. 



PTERODROMA HASITATA* 



346. Pterodroma hasitata (Kuhl)— THE CAPPED PETREL. 



Procellaria hasitata Kuhl, Beitrage z. Zool., 2. Abt., p. 142 (1820— 

 Without locality. Type now in Leiden Museum. First known locality 

 Guadeloupe, W. Indies, taken as typical). 



Description. — Adult. — Crown brown-black forming well-defined 

 cap ; feathers of hinder crown with brown -black tips not entirely 

 concealing white remaining portions ; nape and sides of neck as 

 chin and rest of under -parts white ; centre of fore -head and narrow 

 line at base of sides of upper and lower mandibles brown, feathers 

 tipped white ; lores white but feathers in front of and under eyes 

 tipped brown-black ; upper-mantle pale sooty-brown becoming 

 darker on lower-mantle and blackish on back, rump, and lower 

 scapulars, feathers edged paler ; upper tail -coverts white ; pale 

 sooty-brown of upper-mantle extending slightly on to sides of 

 upper-breast ; rest of under-parts white, but small patch of feathers 

 on lower-flanks with long brown-black tips ; under tail-coverts 

 white, longest with tips mottled and edged pale sooty-brown ; 

 axillaries white, some slightly edged and mottled sooty-brown ; 

 under wing-coverts white with broad edging of black-brown 

 feathers round edge and bend of wing ; tail-feathers with about 

 basal half white and tips brown-black which extends further basally 

 on outer webs ; primaries and secondaries brown-black on outer 

 webs and tips, inner webs paler brown and white at base ; greater 

 wing-coverts sooty-brown ; median and lesser coverts brown- 

 black. Only two examples examined, one (Aug. 28) in full moult. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Measurements and structure. — Wing 290 mm., tail 130-135, 

 tarsus 42-43, middle toe with claw 49-52, bill from feathers 32-33.5 

 (one unsexed, Hayti, B. M. Coll., one moulting primaries, Tring coll., 

 examined). Primaries : 2nd longest, 3rd 5 mm. shorter, 4th 15 

 shorter, 5th 35 shorter, 6th 55 shorter. Rest of structure as P. 



* The name was spelt hasitata. We cannot possibly assume that this is a 

 misprint for hcesitata, because it is based on the " Hasita " of Forster's 

 unpublished plates. Temminck called it " Le Hasite." — E.H. 



