NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 155 



throat, breast, abdomen, crissum and under wing coverts white. Forster's 

 editor, Dr. Lichtenstein, merely says of it, "inter P. dlbce Lath, varietates 

 latens." Mr. G. R. Gray recognizes it in the works above cited as a valid 

 species. An accurate definition of its characters, and an exact exposition of 

 its relationships, together with its synonyms, if it have any, are greatly to be 

 desired. 



The bird is apparently some small species of yEsfrdata. All the points of 

 coloration given, especially those of the under wing coverts, are quite con- 

 sistent wilh the characters of AS. Cookii. But the dimensions as stated are 

 quite at variance with those presented by Cookii, those of the bill and feet 

 being much too large, while that of the tail is too small ; these dimensions 

 being rather those of a small Puffinus. In view of these discrepancies, I pre- 

 fer to coincide with Mr. Gray's high authority in holding it, for the present 

 at least, as distinct ; especially as its reference to any described species 

 would be entirely upon supposition. 



-iEsTRELATA DESOLATA (Gni.) Bon. 



Procellaria desolata, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. pars. ii. 1788, p. 562, No. 14. 

 Latham, Syn. iii. part ii. 1785, p. 409, No. 14. Latham, Iud. Orn., 

 1790, ii. p. 825, No. . Kuhl, Mon. Proc. Beit. Zool , 1820, p. 143, 

 No. 13, lig. 7. Schlegel, Mon. Proc. Mus. Pays-Bas, 1863, p. 13: 

 and of authors generally. 

 Ji'tption desolatum, Steph. Shaw's Gen. Zool. xiii. 1825, p. 244. 

 .Estrelata desolata, Bonaparte, Consp. Av. ii. p. 189. Excl. var. rostrata. Id.. 



Comptes Rend. xlii. 1856, p. 768. 

 Procellaria fasciata, Bonnserte, (Gray, Cat. Bils. Pacif. Islands, 1859, p. 56). 

 Habitat. Island of Desolation. New Hebrides ; Kamtschatka, (Schlegel). 

 " Pr. ex virescente cinerea, subtus alba, remigibus caudaque rotnndata 

 obscuris, hac apice fusca. * * Rostrum nigrum apice flavicans ; tempora 

 ocularumque area alba. Summitas alarum fere nigra ; pedes fusci ; mem- 

 braua digitos connectens flava ; ungues nigri ; alis expausis fascia obscura 

 per omne corpus ab apice ad apicem." [ Gmelin.~\ 



"Teintes du plumage et des pieds absolument comme celles de la Procellaria 

 leucoptera, mais d'une taille beaucoup moins forte, et les pennes caudales 

 comme les plumes sous-caudales d'une teinte foncee jusqu'a leur base. 

 Aile 7 polices 10 lignes ; pointe de l'aile 2 pouces 11 lignes. Queue: pennes 

 mitoyennes 3 pouces 5 lines ; pennes externes 2 pouces 8 lignes. Bee : 

 longeur 11 lignes; hauteur 3 ligues ; largeur 4 lignes. Longueur du tube 

 nasal a, peu-pres de 2 lignes. Tarse 12 lignes. Doigt du mileau 12 lignes." 

 (Scklrgel.) 



This is a species with which I am unacquainted through autopsy. It is 

 the smallest known component of the genus, being less than the little Cookii. 

 I have copied Umelin's original indication of the species ; and Dr. Schlegel's 

 measurements of a typical example, from the Temminckian collection ; the 

 individual upon which Dr. Kuhl, in ls20, based his description. Both 

 Gmelin and Latham speak of some portion of the bill as being yellow ; which 

 was probably an accidental feature in one specimen ; for, as is well known, 

 all the j^Estrelatas have black bills. 



This species is so small, and otherwise so well characterized, that it stands 

 in the enviable position of having hardly a synonym, although described in 

 the eighteenth century. I have not met with, or seen anywhere cited, a 

 single synonym, except that of Bonnserte, above given. 



iEsTRELATA MACRorTERA (Smith) Coues. 



Procellaria macroptera, Smith, 111. S. Af. Zool. Bds.,pl. 52. Gould, Ann. Mag. 

 N. H., 1844, xiii. p. 362. Gould, Introd. Bds. Aust., p. 116, No. 591. 

 O.tsifraga macroptera, Reichenbach, Syst. A v. t. 21, fig. 786. 



1S66.1 



