326 GeneralNotes [JulyAuk

GENERAL NOTES

Atlantic Fulrnar in Worcester, Massachusetts.--Early on the morning of December29, 1935,Mr. Edward A. Browne,of this city, broughtto the Museumof Natural I-Iistory a live male Atlantic (Fulmarus g. glacialis), in the light phase. The wasmounted and is nowon displayat the Museum. The identifica- tion was subsequentlychecked by Dr. W. Elmer Ekblaw, who is familiar with the speciesfrom associationwith it in the Arctic. So far as can be discoveredat the Museum, this is the first recordof the speciesfor WorcesterCounty.--I-IARRY C. P.•RKER,Worcester Museum of Natural History, Worcester,Massachusetts. Occurrence of certain of the Southern in the Tropical At- lantic.--During a voyageon the direct route from Cape Town to Dakar (Senegal), observationswere made as to the northern limit of range of someof the speciesof birds which commonly follow ships. After leaving the Cape of Good I-Iope on September9, 1937,the usualspecies were seen behind the shipdaily in numbersuntil the eveningof the 12th (noonreckoning: Lat. 21ø 02' S., Long. 6ø 32' E.). On the 13th, there were still four individualsof the Wandering Albatross (Diomcdeaezulans), all in the white-backed,brown-winged plumage, and at least a dozen each of the White-chinned ( aequinoctialis)and the Cape Pigeon (Daption capense).All of thesewere presentuntil darkness(about 6.30 p.m.) madefurther observationimpossible; at that time the ship was at Lat. 15ø 0' S., Long. 1ø 20' E. On the 14th, the ship was still followedby three individualsof Procellaria,one of whichturned away to followa passingsouth-bound vessel during the afternoon. The remainingtwo were presentuntil nightfall, when the ship had reachedLat. 10ø 19' S., Long. 1ø 47' W. The temperatureof the air at 6.00 p.m. was67 ø F.; the temperature of the sea 70 ø F. Since,excepting three stragglersof Procellaria,all the southernbirds disappeared betweenthe eveningof the 13th and the morningof the 14th, the meteorologicaland hydrologicalobservations covering the periodin questionare of interest:

Sept.13, 1937 Sept.1•, 1937 Density at noon 1025 1025 Temperatureof air at noon...... 65ø F. 65ø F. Temperatureof seaat 4.00 p. m...... 64ø F. Temperatureof sea at 8.00 p. m...... 65ø F. Temperatureof seaat 12.00p. m...... 64ø F. Temperatureof seaat 4.00 a. m...... 67ø F. Temperatureof seaat 8.00 a. m...... 69ø F. Temperatureof seaat 12.00m ...... 70ø F.

The presenceof thesebirds in low latitudesin this part of the oceanmay be ex- plainedby the southernwinter and the influenceof the cold BenguelaCurrent, a stream deflectedby the African continental mass from the eastward drift of the SouthernOcean. In the neighborhoodwhere the birds were last seen,the tempera- ture of the water is affectedby the warm Guinea Current, which setssouthward into the Gulf of Guineafrom the north. The abrupt upwardchange in temperaturedur- ing the night of September13-14 is a result of leavingthe sphereof influenceof one current for that of the other.