35 
FULMARS AND SHEARWATERS 
GENUS PUFFINUS. 
General Characters. — Nasal tubes united and resting on base of bill, not 
reaching to middle ; nostrils visible from above ; the partition between 
them as wide or wider than nostril. 
KEY TO SPECIES. 
1. Under parts white or grayish. 
2. Bill 2.60. bulleri, p. 36. 
2'. Bill under 1.70. 
3. Larger, wing about 13. creatopus, p. 35. 
3'. Smaller, wing about 9. opisthomelas, p. 35. 
1'. Under parts dark sooty gray. 
2. Larger, wing over 11, bill over 1.55.griseus, p. 36. 
2'. Smaller, wing under 11, bill under 1.28 . . . tenuirostris, p. 37. 
91. Puffinus creatopus Coues. Pink-footed Shearwater. 
Breast and throat white, shading into brownish gray of upper parts and 
under tail coverts; bill yellowish, feet flesh color. Length: 19, wing 
12.50-13.25, bill 1.60-1.70. 
Distribution. — Eastern Pacific Ocean from Monterey, California, south 
to Chili. 
At Monterey Mr. Loomis has found the pink-footed shearwater 
abundant in June, and in November has seen as many as two hun¬ 
dred in a day. In migrating, he says, their flight is not as direct as 
that of the black-vented and dark-bodied. They circle frequently 
and cross their tracks, much as swallows are wont to do when mi¬ 
grating singly or in small companies. 
93. Puffinus opisthomelas Coues. Black-vented Shearwater. 
Upper parts sooty gray, lighter on head and neck ; under parts white, 
except for sooty under tail coverts. Length : 12.25-15.00, wing 9.00-9.10, 
tail 3.25-3.80, bill 1.30-1.42. 
Distribution. — Pacific Ocean from coast of Lower California north to 
Vancouver Island. 
A set of opistJwmelas eggs was taken at Santa Barbara Island in 
1873, and Mr. Anthony thinks the birds not uncommon on some of 
the smaller outlying islands. Their presence along the coast of 
southern and Lower California, he says, seems to depend on the food 
supply. They are always common, but less so during the breeding 
season, their numbers being greatest in late July, August, and Sep¬ 
tember, when they follow the large schools of herring and other fish 
that come in shore. They are often seen in flocks of several thou¬ 
sand when fish are plenty, and Mr. Anthony has met a flock on the 
coast of Lower California which he estimated at not less than fifty 
thousand. 
It is only in very calm weather, he says, that they are seen resting 
on the water, but then they collect in a compact circle and wait 
