Order PROGELLABIIFORMES 
No. 90. 
Family PROGELLARIIDM. 
PUPFINUS GRISEUS GRISEUS. 
SOMBRE PETREL. 
(Plate 77.) 
Procellaria grisea Gmelin, Syst. Nat., p. 564, 1789 ; New Zealand. 
Grey Petrel Latham, Gen. Syn., Vol. III., p. 399, 1785 ; id., Gen. Hist Birds, Vol. X., 
p. 174, 1824. 
Procellaria grisea Gmelin, Syst. Nat., p. 564, 1789. 
Daption griseum Stephens, in Shaw’s Gen. Zool., Vol. XIII., p. 246, 1826. 
Procellaria tristis Forster, Desc. Anim., ed. Licht., p. 205, 1844 ; Hatton, Ibis, 1872, p. 83. 
Puffinus rmjor (not Faber) Gray, Voy. “Erebus” and “ Terror,” Birds, p. 17, 1845. 
Puffinus tristis Gray, Ibis, 1862, p. 244 ; Buller, Birds New Zealand, p. 317, 1873 ; Sandager, 
Trans. New Zeal. Inst., 1889, Vol. XXII., p. 290, 1890. 
Pufjinus griseus Finsch. Journ. fiir Orn. 1874, p. 209 ; Salvin, in Rowley’s Omith. Miscell., 
Vol. I., p. 236, 1876 ; id., Ibis, 1888, p. 355 ; BuUer, Birds New Zeal., 2nd ed., Vol. II., 
p. 232, 1888 ; Hall, Key Birds Austr., p. 92, 1899 ; Campbell, Nests and Eggs Austr. 
Birds, p. 893, 1901 ; Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXV., p. 386, 1896 (pars) ; 
Buller, Suppl. Birds New Zeal., Vol. I., p. 102, 1905 ; Hall, Key Birds Austr., p. 92, 
1906 ; Wilson, Nat. Antarct. Exp., Aves, p. 80, 1907 ; Mathews, Handl. Birds 
Austral., p. 16, 1908 ; Godman, Monogr. Petrels, p. 145, 1908. 
DiSTRiBUTioisr. Australian seas. 
Adult male. General colour above sooty-black, with darker shaft-lines ; some of the 
feathers of the wings show a tendency to hoary-grey, sides of face and throat also 
hoary-grey, which colour pervades the entire under-surface ; under wing-coverts 
mottled with white and brown, the shaft-streaks strongly pronounced. “ Bill wholly 
black, but with a narrow thread-like white line at the base of the upper bill. 
Iris very dark brown. Legs and toes black on the outer surface, but lilac or 
purple on the inner surface. Webs blackish. Claws black.” (Wilson.)* Total 
length 345 mm. ; culmen (exp.) 39, wing 299, tail 85, tarsus 60. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Nestling. Covered with thick slaty-grey down (Buller). 
Nest. At the end of a burrow. 
Egg. Clutch one ; colour white ; axis 80 mm., diameter 49. 
Breeding-season. November (Snares Island) ; December to January (Sandager, Mokohinou 
Islands) ; as late as March (Buller, Island of Kapiti). 
* In the Plate the colour of the legs and bill are given according to Buller’s description, which appears 
absolutely wrong. From a study of the details of the soft parts of Petrels given by Buller, I feel convinced that 
the majority are written up from dead skins, though they have been accepted as prepared from living 
specimens. It is noticeable in this instance, but is apparent in many others quoted in the Monograph of 
Petrels. 
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