REPORT ON THE BIRDS — STEGANOPODES AND IMPENNES. 121 



New Zealand, appears to be quite distinct. It has a broad white patch on the middle 

 of the back in the adult plumage, no crest, and the white extending over the cheeks 

 up to the naked skin round the eye. It has a broad white bar on the upper wing- 

 coverts. 



The species of the Falkland Islands, which has hitherto been called Phalacrocorax 

 carunculatus (Scl., Proc. Zool. Soc, 18G0, p. 391; Abbott, Ibis, 1861, p. 166) is 

 again different, having a recurved crest and the caruncles on the front largely developed. 

 It should probably stand at Phalacrocorax albiventris, Lesson's Carbo albiventer (Trait. 

 d'Orn., p. 604) being apparently based upon the young of this species. 



The accompanying plate represents specimen No. 637, an adult male of Phalacrocorax 

 imperialis, and the head of a specimen of Phalacrocorax albiventris (Falklands, Leconte, 

 Mus. S.-G.) showing the peculiar recurved crest of the latter. 



Professor Hutton (Trans. N. Z. Inst., vol. xi. p. 332) has lately written an article on 

 Phalacrocorax carunculatus of New Zealand (commonly so called) in which, after a 

 review of the literature of this subject, he points out the differences between the birds 

 of New Zealand and the Falklands, and proposes to call the former cirrhatus (Gm.), and 

 and the latter carunculatus (Gm.). To follow this course would, in my opinion, only 

 add further to the confusion, the names cirrhatus and carunculatus having been long 

 considered synonymous. Professor Hutton is likewise unaware that the next follow- 

 ing species, of Kerguelen Island, is distinct, and unites it to his Phalacrocorax 

 carunculatus. 



All Dr Cunningham's examples (Mus. Cantabr.), which we called Phalacrocorax 

 carunculatus in our reports on his collection (Ibis, 1870, p. 500, et aliter), appear to be 

 referable to Phalacrocorax albiventus, of which the range is thus extended to the 

 Magellan Straits. Of two skins of Phalacrocorax imperialis from Chiloe {Reed), in the 

 collection of Salvin and Godman, one has the white dorsal patch much broader and more 

 distinct than in the Challenger specimen, in the other it is altogether absent. This 

 particular character, no doubt, only appears in the breading season. 



A large series of skins, in various plumage, from different localities is required for 

 comparison, before the species hitherto confounded under the name carunculatus can be 

 satisfactorily differentiated. But there appear to be certainly four of them, of which the 

 adults in full plumage may be recognised as follows : — 



a. Dorsi postici fascia alba ; crista nulla, . . . . 1. imperialis. 



b. Dorsi fascia nulla : 



a'. Crista nulla, 



platotanuda . 



.guise linea media plumosa, 



2. verrucosus. 



3. albiventris. 



4. carunculatus. 



(zool chall. exp. — part viii. — 1880.) H 16 



