'83 



IFURTHER NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF LORD HOWE 

 AND NORFOLK LSLANDS. 



By a. F. Basset Hull, Sydney. 



(Plates xxii.-xxv.) 



The very interesting contriljution by Mr. Tom Iredale, on the 

 -early records relative to the avifauna of Lord Howe and Norfolk 

 Islands, appears to settle finally the question as to the latter 

 Island being also the habitat of the extinct Notornis alba. I had 

 already arrived at the same conclusion^ and, in my previous 

 paper,* I assigned Lord Howe Island as the only habitat of this 

 species. 



The references in the e-arly literature to birds of the Petrel 

 group, however, need very careful study; and much remains to 

 be done in the way of investigation to arrive at definite conclu- 

 sions regarding the identity of the species mentioned by King, 

 Hunter, and other writers. 



I have fortunately been able to establish the Lord Howe Petrel 

 . as a distinct and new species, but there are certain conflicting 

 accounts as to the Norfolk Island Petrels yet to be reconciled. 

 Owing to the varying .seasons at which the diflferent species breed, 

 and to the fact that I was only a few weeks on the Island during 

 October and November, I was unable to make personal inves- 

 tigations, and have had to rely upon the statements of other 

 observers, and the examination of eggs furnished to me by resi- 

 dents, for some of my conclusions. 



The most puzzling species undoubtedly is the Oestrelata (Oe. 

 }>hHllpi Gray), which has been classed in the British J\lu.seura 

 Catalogue and by later authorities with Oe. neglecta Schlegel. I 



* Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales, 1900, Vol. xxxiv., p.G46. 



