76 Transactions. — Zoology. 



This species, formerly so abundant on the west coast of 

 this province, is getting scarce, owing to the draining of the 

 swamps as the inevitable result of systematic settlement. 



Phalacrocorax nycthemerus, Cab. (The Campbell Island 

 Shag.) 



The two sexes are crested, and both appear to have exactly 

 the same plumage in the adult state. My specimens are 

 from Campbell Island, and I have never heard of the occur- 

 rence of the species elsewhere. 



Diomedea regia, Buller. (The Eoyal Albatros.) 



I have compared male and female specimens obtained on 

 the east coast of Otago, and I can detect no difference what- 

 ever between the sexes, except that the male has a somewhat 

 thicker bill. The female may have a little more white on the 

 upper surface of wings, but this character is a variable one. 



Diomedea exulans, Linn. (The Wandering Albatros.) 



Specimen received in the flesh from Captain Fairchild, 

 who took it himself off the nest with a nestling beside it. 

 This is a parti-coloured bird, in w T hat I take to be the inter- 

 mediate or transitional plumage, perhaps that of the second 

 or third year, or even later. Upper surface blackish-brown, 

 darker on the wings and tail ; band across the forehead, im- 

 mediately above the bill, with the whole of the face and throat 

 pure-white ; neck and fore-part of breast sooty-brown, paler on 

 the anterior edge, broken and freckled on the lower margins ; 

 lower part of breast and abdomen pure-white, largely freckled 

 on the sides of the body with brown ; flanks, vent, and under 

 tail-coverts sooty-brown ; wing-feathers black with white 

 shafts ; lining of wings pure-white, varied with black on the 

 outer edge ; tail-feathers black, the shafts white at the base. 

 No white markings on the upper surface of the w T ings. 



It is notoriously difficult to rear the young of the Albatros ; 

 indeed, it is generally considered an impossibility. But at 

 Government House there is now a fine bird, in perfect first 

 year's plumage, which was brought there as a down-covered 

 nestling four months ago. It has the freedom of a small en- 

 closure, and is fed almost exclusively on fish. 



Diomedea cauta, Gould. (The Shy Albatros.) 



The first mate of the " Hinemoa," Mr. Bethune (who 

 showed me the heads of all the species), assured me that 

 Diomedea cauta, which is appreciably larger than D. culminata, 

 is found only on the Bounty Islands. Both these species are 

 furnished with the peculiar moustachial membranes already 



