THE " BLUE FULMAR : ITS PLUMAGE, ETC. 223 



otherwise entirely dark. In single specimens, on the contrary, 

 the entire bill, with the exception of the nose-tube, is yellow. 

 Intermediate colours are frequently to be met with. Many 

 specimens bear on the nose-tube yellow longitudinal stripes, 

 or this tube is mottled with yellow and black, inwards, 

 however, uniformly yellow. Also the shape of the nose-tube 

 is very different. Sometimes the tube is quite broad and 

 flat, sometimes laterally compressed and provided with raised 

 median margin. 



Koenig also tells us that at Spitzbergen and at Bear 

 Island the extremes of both colour phases occur ; but by far 

 the greater number observed were of an intermediate phase, 

 the majority of them tending towards the dark phase. The 

 differences in coloration are not, he says, associated in 

 any way with "age-stages" of plumage, as has hitherto 

 been accepted by many ornithologists, but is of a purely 

 individual nature. Indeed these colour differences are mani- 

 fest in the young in down, some of the chicks having the 

 head, neck, and under surface light whitish gray, and others 

 uniform smoky-gray. Thus, as Koenig says, already in the 

 young in down the colour-differentiation is evident. 



The exact geographical areas in which these dark and pale 

 forms of the Fulmar occur or predominate have not received 

 the attention they deserve. In addition to Koenig's informa- 

 tion on this important subject for Spitzbergen and Bear 

 Island, there are, however, the excellent investigations made 

 by Manniche (Denmark ekspeditionen til Gronlands Nord- 

 kyst, 1 906- 1 908). These observations were made systemati- 

 cally between the Shetland Islands and the east coast of 

 Greenland as far north as 8o 20'. The first Fulmars were 

 observed a little north of the Shetland Isles on 9th July 1906, 

 and were all pronouncedly pale birds, as were also the Fulmars 

 seen at the Faroes. In the Atlantic the Fulmars that came 

 under notice until 24th July (when the ship was in lat. 66" N., 

 long. n 56' W.) were all of the light form ; but on that day 

 the first dark bird was seen in company with the ordinary 

 form, and appeared to be a little smaller than the rest. On 

 the following day, about thirty Fulmars were observed, two 

 of which were dark. Off Jan Mayen, on the 27th, many were 



