P t C E T I N t r S M A J O R , Fab.
Great Shearwater.
Pufinos major, Faber, Prod. der isl'ánd. Ora., p. 66.
— - arcticus, Macgill. Man. of Nat. Hist. Ora., vol. ii, p. 262.
Cymotomus arcticus, Macgill. Man. of Nat. Hist. Ora., vol. ü. p. 19.
PuJJmus fuliginosas, A. Strickl. Proc. of C om m . of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc., part ii. 1832, p. 129 ?
ProceUaria fuliginosa, Jenyns, Man. of Brit. Vert. Anim., p. 285 ?
---------------major (part.), Temía. Man. d’Oru. 2nd edit., tom. iv. p. 609.
Ardentía major, Reich. Syst. Av., tab. xiv. fig. 770.
Leaving the American monograph tit o f the Procellaridse, Mr. Elliott Coues, and others to determine among
themselves the true synonymy o f this species, I shall very briefly state where the bird most frequently
occurs in our inlands, 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 o f Britain, or, if so, only in the southernmost o f the Scilly Islands, it certainly occurs in great
numbers along the shores o f Devonshire and Cornwall, the fishermen who pursue their calling off the
coasts o f 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 o f fish. On other parts o f our coasts
Yiiiii on those o f Ireland its occurrence is only accidental. The seas which wash the base o f the dreary
Kddystone, the Lizard, and the rocky promontory o f the Land’s End,'those surrounding the Scilly Islands,
the Bay o f Biscay, the Mediterranean, and the seas around Madeira constitute the true home of the species;
beyond this-, or on the other side o f 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 o f 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 o f this large Petrel, I may remark that out o f fifty o r eighty specimens
which have come under my notice, not more than three or four have been o f a fuliginous or chocolate hue
similar to one o f the two figured in my ‘ Birds o f Europe.’ Now, as these dark-coloured individuals are usually
in company with others o f a lighter plumage like the one here represented, and moreover are o f 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 other allied groups of
birds—for instance, in some o f the members of the genus Stercoratius, more particularly in S . parasiticus and
S . pomatorhinus. I have been sadly puzzled when a specimen o f the latter species, sooty-black to a feather,
has come under my notice. We cannot for a moment consider such birds distinct; it is likely, therefore,
that I am right in regarding the dark-coloured examples o f the Great Shearwater as mere varieties.
To show how abundant the bird is off the Devonshire coast, I may here insert a few extracts from notes on
the subject kindly communicated to me by Mr. Gatcombe. In November 1860 he says:— “ A friend of mine
has four specimens o f the Great Shearwater, two o f which have the whole o f the plumage greyish brown,
and two with white breasts, all taken at the same time by fishermen off Plymouth Sound and brought in
alive. A few years since large flocks made their appearance off Plymouth in both the dark and light
states o f plumage, when this bird and many others were caught with baited hooks; indeed almost every
autumn large numbers o f these birds may be seen off the coasts o f Devon and Cornwall. Many o f the
Manx Shearwaters are occasionally obtained, and I remember being told that one year Torbay literally
swarmed with them; but 1 think that on the whole the Greater Shearwater is the commonest species on
our coasts. I suspect th< « can be little doubt that the dark-coloured example» are merely the young o f the
yeai;, as birds with dark ami others with white breasts are found together in the same flock; ” in which
opinion I do not coincide, although the young o f the year are clouded of a darker hue than the adults.
In another note, dated October Sib, 1865, he says, “ Yesterday several specimens o f the Greater Shearwater
were brought in alive by some fishermen, who took them with a line and bait near the Eddystone. Large
flocks occasionally occur in the Channel during the autumn ; and this appears to be the case now; for the
fishermen told me tlmt fifty or sixty were flying close to the boat at the same time.”
Mr. llodd, who has also favoured me with some notes on the occurrence o f the bird off the Cornish coasts,
says, “ All the specimens obtained have been procured in the autumn, and they have all appeared in the
same kind o f ptiamagc: the caps o f some specimens have been darker than others; but none have come
under my notice of a chocolate-colour or approaching to that tint in the more subdued tone o f broccoli-brown.