NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 185 



Lath. Ind. Ora ii. 1790, p. 790. Tenia. PI. Col. 468. Gould, B. Aust. 

 pi 42, and of authors generally ; but not of Audubon and Lawrence. 

 Diomtdea (Tkalassarche) chlororhyncka, Bp. C. A ii. 1855, p. 

 l; Diomedea chrysostoma, Fjrat. Ed. Lieut, 1344, p. 24. ' IJ. ic. iued. 100, 101,'' 



fide Gray. 

 " Diomedea profuga, B inks, ic. ined. t. 27,'' fide Gray. 

 Diomedea presag a , Brandt," fide Lawrence. 



Habitat Cape of Good Hope, and thence to Van Dicmen's Land. Aus- 

 tralian and South Pacific Oceaus generally. 



T:ie bill is compresned in it? who'e extent more than in any other species 

 except fuliginosa ; and although somewhat stouter at the ba;e, it is there very 

 high as compared with its widih. Its dorsal outline is very concave, descend- 

 ing rapidly from a point a little anterior to the extreme base of the bill, to 

 about the middle; and not rising; again very high on the unguis. Although 

 the culminicorn is narrow and with compressed sides, it is not carinated along 

 ltr> dorsal lin*. It has a peculiar termination basally, quite uuique iti the genus, 

 which single character separates it trenchantly from any other Albatross. The 

 culminicora does not (as in exulams, melanopkrys, etc.,) spread downwards and 

 outwards behind the nostrils to overlap their bases, but terminates by rapidly 

 narrowing to an acute angle on the median line of the bill. Its hard, brightly 

 colored, pointed base does no' quite reach to the feathers. There is thus left, 

 between the base of the culmi'cicorn and the upper edge of ihe latericorn, a 

 somewhat triangular space of sottish integument, not brightly colored ; and 

 corrugated in the dry state. 



The lateral sulcus on the upper mandible does not extend further towards 

 the base of the bill than the nostrils : the soft skin just spoken of taking its 

 place thence to the feathers. Beginning then with the nostrils, it has a slight 

 downward convexity as far as the unguis; thence it, is greatly deflected. As 

 Qsual, a slight ridge lies in this sulcus for its whole length. The commissural 

 edge of the upper mandible is strongly curved, its convexity looking down- 

 wards. The dorsal outline of the inferior mandibular rami is straight or very 

 slightly concave. The inter rami corn is thin, not very prominent, but pro- 

 longed far nl >ng the chin before it merges into soft skin. 



The two ungues, taken t gether, are characterized by their slight compara- 

 tive depth and degree of convexity, and their extreme compression and 

 elongation ; and by the acuteness and rlecurvation of their apices. 



The nostrils are exactly as described under melanopkrys. 



The frontal fea : hers arp peculiar in outline. They lie straight across the 

 bise of the culmen, or even have a slight convexity, as far as the upper corner 

 of ihe base of the latericorn. Thence ibey descend the side of the bill, with a 

 slightly convex outline, and some little obliquity forwards ; forming more de- 

 cidedly reentrant angles at the superior basal cornets of the latericorns than is 

 found in any other species. On the side of the lower mandible, beginning at a 

 point slightly posterior to their termination on the upper mandible, they de- 

 scend with an outline parallel to that of those on the upper mandible. 



Chord of culraen 4 50 : height of bill at base 1-50, at unguis 1-00 ; width 

 atb.se 100. Tarsus 2-75; middle toe 4-25; outer toe 4-00; inner toe 375. 

 Wing about 19-00. Tail 7-00. 



White : including rump, upper tail coverts and under surfaces of the wings ; 

 buck and wings ashy brown, the latter darkest. Primary shafs light brown 

 basally, black apically. Tail grayish or plumbeous black, lightest basally ; 

 its shafts chiefly white. Some part of the head and neck in the majority of 

 specimens is clouded with pearly gray. There is more or less of a grayish 

 plumbeous transocular fascia, as in melanopkrys. The culminicorn is bright 

 orange yellow ; and a narrow line of the same color lies along the sides of the 

 bfise of the und- r mandible. The rest of the bill is blackish ; there being no 

 bright color along the dorsal outline of the inferior mandibular rami, as seen 

 in culminata. The feet are livid flesh, or bluUh white. 



I860.] 



