PUFFINUS MAJOR, ror.

Great Shearwater.

Puffnus major, Faber, Prod. der island. Orn., p. 56.

arcticus, Macgill. Man. of Nat. Hist. Orn., vol. ii. p. 262,
Cymotomus arcticus, Macgill. Man. of Nat. Hist. Orn., vol. ii. Pualtse
Puffinus fuliginosus, A. Strickl. Proc. of Comm. of Sci. and Corr. 0
Procellaria fuliginosa, Jenyns, Man. of Brit. Vert. Anim., p. 285?

major (part.), Temm. Man. d’Orn. 2nd edit., tom. iv. p. 509.
Ardenna major, Reich. Syst. Av., tab. xiv. fig. 770.

f Zool. Soc., part. ii, 1832, p. 129?

 

Leavine the American monographist of the Procellaride, Mr. Elliott Coues, and others to determine among
themselves the true synonymy of this species, I shall very briefly state where the bird most frequently
occurs in our islands, where it is most numerous, and add a few remarks respecting the dark-coloured
individuals which are sometimes met with. Although it is probable that it never breeds within the
limits of Britain, or, if so, only in the southernmost of the Scilly Islands, it certainly occurs in great
numbers along the shores of Devonshire and Cornwall, the fishermen who pursue their calling off the
coasts of those counties frequently bringing in living or dead examples which have become entangled in
their nets or caught by the baited hooks intended for the capture of fish. On other parts of our coasts
and on those of Ireland its occurrence is only accidental. The seas which wash the base of the dreary
Eddystone, the Lizard, and the rocky promontory of the Land’s End, those surrounding the Scilly Islands,
the Bay of Biscay, the Mediterranean, and the seas around Madeira constitute the true home of the species ;
beyond this, or on the other side of the equator, its existence, in my opinion, is very doubtful; and its
occurrence in the arctic circle, which has been affirmed, is, I believe, equally dubious. That birds of this
form and having a very general resemblance to the one here figured are to be found in other countries besides
those mentioned I do not deny; but I think that on examination they will be found to be referable to other
species. As regards the colouring of this large Petrel, I may remark that out of fifty or eighty specimens
which have come under my notice, not more than three or four have been of a fuliginous or chocolate hue
similar to one of the two figured in my ‘ Birds of Europe.’ Now, as these dark-coloured individuals are usually
in company with others of a lighter plumage like the one here represented, and moreover are of the same size,
I am inclined to believe them to be merely melanic varieties; in which opinion I am strengthened by being
aware that dark-tinted examples occur not only in this extensive family, but also in oui allied groups of
birds—for instance, in some of the members of the genus Stercorarius, more particularly in S. parasiticus and
S. pomatorhinus. I have been sadly puzzled when a specimen of the latter species, a to a feather,
has come under my notice. We cannot for a moment consider such birds distinct ; it 1s ncly, therefore,
of the Great Shearwater as mere varieties.

that I am right in regarding the dark-coloured examples
| jl acts from notes on

yes aay cera aa >re insert a few extr
To show how abundant the bird is off the Devonshire coast, I may here insert < Se
i ov 2 says :—‘‘A friend of mine
the subject kindly communicated to me by Mr. Gatcombe. In November ie oe ie
i ; ich he le of the plumage greyish brown,
has four specimens of the Great Shearwater, two of which have the whole R 8 Bi ‘ a
i sher te IP an rought in
and two with white breasts, all taken at the same time by fishermen off Plymouth ue a a a
; P Ply ark and heh
alive. A few years since large flocks made their appearance off Plymouth in Pee a c g
ae "s were caug 1 aited hooks ; indeed almost every
states of plumage, when this bird and many others were caught with bi ee ; ee ae
‘0as von rnwall.
autumn laree numbers of these birds may be seen off the coasts of Devon and Cornwe é i
arg : smber being told that one year Torbay literally
Manx Shearwaters are occasionally obtained, and I remember being
iter Shearwater is the commonest species on

i ink that. the whole the Gree
swarmed with them; but I think that. on an oo i.
can be little doubt that the dark-coloured examples are merely the young of the
| | i eae thic
breasts are found together in the same flock ;” in which
7 r are C eC ‘ arker hue than the adults.
opinion I do not coincide, although the young of the year are clouded of a dark

eC Greater Shearwater
I | te. dated October 8th, 1865, he says, «« Yesterday several specimens of the Me i
= ’ / : S s y
n another note, dé eo ea cole diem with a line and bait near the Eddystone. g
, 9 a

‘ i ars to be the case now; for the
ing the autumn ; and this appears t :
boat at the same time.
e of the bird off the Cornish coasts,
the autumn, and they have all appeared in the
than others; but none have come
e subdued tone of broccoli-brown.

our coasts. I suspect there
year, as birds with dark and others with white

were brought in alive by some fishe
flocks occasionally occur in the Channe
fishermen told me that fifty or sixty wer

Mr. Rodd, who has also favoured me with some notes
aincd have been procured in
s have been darker
t tint in the mor

| dur
e flying close to the
on the occurrence

says, ‘‘All the specimens obt
same kind of plumage : the caps of
under my notice of a chocolate-colour

some specimen
or approaching to tha