ALLIED PETREL. 
a woodcut of the head of Pu-ffinus opistTiomelas of the natural size, apparently 
prepared from one of the type-specimens. This is certainly not referable to 
the Monterey bird. 
But I think that the name to be used for this species is Procellaria obscura 
Gmelin, as this bird agrees with Latham’s description in every detail, quite 
noticeable features being : the sides of it [the bill] horn-colour, otherwise 
black ” ; “on the sides of the neck brown and white mixed ” ; “ the edges of 
the middle wing-coverts are whitish.” This last-mentioned character is pro- 
minent in fuUy-plumaged specimens, though not mentioned by either Coues 
or Townsend. 
If Procellaria obscura Gmelin has to be used for any Petrel it must be 
preserved for the above-mentioned species, unless it can be utilised for the 
Sandwich Island bird described by Henshaw {Auh, Vol. XVII., p. 246, 1900) 
as Pu-ffinus newelli — of which I have not seen a specimen — as follows : “ Above, 
including upper-surface of wings and tail, clear and somewhat glossy-black. 
Border of under wing-coverts black. Beneath, including under tail-coverts, pure 
white. MaxiUa and edge and tip of mandible black ; rest of maxilla light brown. 
Tarsus and feet light yeUow, but black along the outer posterior side of tarsus, 
the outer toe and hah the middle toe. Wing 8.65 ; tail 3.75 ; bill 1.28 ; tarsus 
1.80. Habitat, Ulani, Hawaiian Islands.” 
For the species described but not figured in the Monograph of the Petrels 
(pp. 109 et seq.) under the name of Puffinus opistho^nelas Coues, and of which 
Anthony {Auh, Vol. XVII., p. 247, 1900) notes : “ Extremely plentiful ofi the 
coast of California during the summer months, breeding rather commonly on 
Guadaloupe, San Benito Islands and Natividad Island,” I propose the new 
name of -n ■ 
Puffinus couesiy 
in honour of the greatest exponent of this group of birds. 
The acquisition of material from the Pacific points to the fact that 
Procellaria obscura Gmelin may after all have been procured at Christmas 
Island, but I purpose to deal in detail with this most interesting collection at 
a later period when I have obtained more material. In which case we might 
have — 
Puffinus obscurus obscurus Gmelin .. .. Christmas Island, 
» opisthomelas Coues . . . . Revillagigedo^ group. 
„ newelli Henshaw . . . . Sandwich Island. 
After long consideration I feel that the best course at the present time 
regarding the birds commonly referred to P. obscurus and P. assimilis is to 
recognise the two forms, the blue-black and the brown-black, as represent- 
ing two species, and not run them into one as Rothschild and Hartert did. 
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