67 
Audubon Shearwater // Obs. - 15 
Puffinus I'herminieri 
Half the records are from 5° N. Birds thought to be this or, less 
probably, Little Shearwater, were observed around the Samoa section. A 
couple of birds were also recorded from the Phoenix and Fiji sections. 
Again, another Puffinus which appears to be ship-shy. Sven close to 
known breeding islands this bird may go -unrecorded, especially during 
daytime. 
Tahiti Petrel # Obs. =2 
Pcerodroma rostrata 
Phoenix (island) Petre1 
Pterodroma alba 
Phoenix/Tahiti Petrel fr Obs. *_32_ 
Total 34 
to 
Identification problems cloud the picture of these two species. The 
only notable pelagic concentration was in the 5° L T . area where I suspecu 
90 percent of the birds are Phoenix' Petrels and, unquestionably, virtually 
all come from Christmas Island. The Phoenix Island contribution is at best 
vanishingly small. Scattered Phoenix (?) Petrels were seen among the Line 
Islands and variously elsewhere. Either species seems likely to turn up 
in low numbers throughout most of the area. 
Tahiti Petrel, a problem bird, was found significantly in two areas. 
Among the Fiji Islands a number of "shear-pets" were chased by the skiff. 
were Tahitis 
O 
C4- 
of the 
"shear-pets" 
I am sure that most if not all of the 6-8 birds chased 
though none were collected or observed closely. None 
were recorded from the deck of the large vessel. 1 think Tahiti Petrel 
is far more ship-shy than the Phoenix Petrel, and much of the identifica¬ 
tion problem has stemmed from this. 
Observations from the little vessel around Samoa in April again pro 
duced "spooky shear-pets" "possible Tahiti Petrel", etc. Substantiating 
phe feeling that these birds were in fact Tahitis was a good island ob- 
servation on Tutuila, ^On the night of 10 April at tne Samoa Airier^ a 
native boy was carrying around a live Tahiti Petrel that he had just iomc 
on the lawn near the air terminal. The bird, very healthy, was examined 
by POBSP personnel but the lad could not be persuaded to part with the 
would-be specimen. 
In the hand a Tahiti is larger and browner than Phoenix Petrel with a 
noticeably larger head and a massive bill that is easily two^ times tne 
bulk of a Phoenix. Also noted was the more pronouncedly dark undersic.es, 
due chiefly to the dorsal color extending far down on the sides. 
In flight the flapping is labored and slow but the strokes are lorce- 
and the wings are kept bowed somewhat more than Pnoenix. TaniMi aivs 
less than Phoenix but since Phoenixs’ arc little anyway the character 
marginal. The massive head might be a good character except for the icct 
