Cory’s Shearwater (Puffinus borealis) off the Coast of Massa¬ 
chusetts. — On the 2d of last August I was out in a yacht collecting 
sea-birds, about thirty miles eastward from the southeast end of Cape 
Cod, Wilson’s Petrels, Pomarine Skuas, Greater and Sooty Shearwaters 
were abundant. Both these Shearwaters were often seen sitting on the 
water in flocks, associating freely with one another, and were easily 
approached. 
On one occasion I sailed up to quite a large flock, and shot a P. fuli- 
ginosus. As the rest rose, I suddenly perceived amongst them a 
Shearwater entirely new to me, and my other barrel soon brought it 
down. The yacht was put about, and I was on the point of laying hands 
on the prize, when it suddenly started up, and was gone,-—much to my 
chagrin. Soon, however, I saw a similar one flying about in company 
with several of the common Shearwaters. It presently came near, and 
was shot, proving to be a Cory’s Shearwater. This was enough to keep 
me on the lookout for more, and when about half way in to land, another 
came scaling along over the water, and was also secured. These were 
all that I saw. One of the fishermen, to whom I showed the birds, 
reported having seen a few others the next day. This, however, may be 
open to some doubt. 
In habits they perfectly resemble the other species, but are readily 
distinguished from P. major by their lighter colors, and conspicuously 
large, yellow bill. They are very tame, and when engaged in feeding 
may almost be run down by a boat. Considerable effort is shown in 
rising from the water, but when once a-wing, they fly with great swift¬ 
ness. 
Nothing is known of them by the fishermen, who perhaps overlook 
them among the thousands of the other commoner varieties. Speci¬ 
mens were first taken by Mr. Charles B. Cory in nearly the same locality 
where mine were captured, and were described by him in the Bulletin 
of April, 1881.— Herbert K. Job, Boston , Mass. 
Bull. N, 0.0, 8,Oct. 1883, P< 
GENERAL NOTES. 
Occurrence of Cory’s Shearwater (Puffinus borealis ) and Several Species 
of Jaegers in Large Numbers in the Vicinity of Gayhead, Mass., during 
the Autumn of 1886 . —In the early part of the summer of 1886, both mack¬ 
erel and bluefish were very scarce near the coast of the Middle States 
and it was ascertained that they were busily engaged in feeding on a small 
white fish, three or four inches long, occurring in immense.numbers, i^o 
to 200 miles off the coast. This fish proves to be young sea herring 
( Clupea vulgaris). Towards the end of September this herring came in¬ 
shore in large numbers, from Point Judith to Buzzard’s Bay and Vineyard 
Sound, where they, remained until the end of October, and perhaps still 
later. They were accompanied by mackerel of unusually large size and 
fatness, which furnished for many weeks an ample supply to fishing crafts 
of various kinds, and they were captured, for the most part, with the hook 
and line. 
With the herring came also enormous numbers of Puffinus and Ster- 
corarius, the former proving to be almost exclusivly the Puffinus borealis 
Cory, with a few Puffinus stricklandi. None of the P. major were 
seen. 
The Stercorarius consisted principally of S. parasiticus and S. pom- 
arinus; these in every imaginable stage of coloration : some beingentirely 
dusky and others in various grades of immaturity; very few, if anv 
specimens in full plumage being seen. 
The Shearwaters occurred in flocks of perhaps from fifty to two or three 
hundred, the bunches being generally found quietly resting on the water 
and feeding, while swimming, upon the herrings that were so abundant 
in the vicinity. They were very tame, but approach to them could be best 
made by a steam launch, which would almost run over them before thev 
would start to fly. A dozen birds were killed by the discharge of two guns 
from a launch. About a hundred specimens were secured, and thousands 
could easily have been killed if necessary. 
When last heard from, towards the beginning of November, the birds 
were still with the herrings, and were found very abundantly off Gay 
Head, Menemsha Bight, Cuttyhunk, and elsewhere, both in Vineyard 
Sound and Buzzard’s Bay. 
The Jaegers were shyer, and were generally killed singly as they flew 
past. They did not seem to associate closely with the Shearwaters.— 
S. F. Baird. Washington , D. C. Auk, 4 , J*n. , 1887, p, //' 7% 
