Bullee. — Notes on New Zealand Birds. 77 



described, which they disclose by raising the feathers when 

 irritated or excited. Captain Fairchild says, " All the Alba- 

 troses on Antipodes Island are dark birds" (D. exulans). 

 Diomedea regia is never found there ; and, so far as I can 

 learn, D. regia is the only species that inhabits Campbell 

 Island. 



Phoebetria fuliginosa, Gmelin. (The Sooty Albatros.) 



The egg of this species, as described in "The Birds of 

 New Zealand" (vol. ii., p. 206), is more or less spotted, 

 especially towards the larger pole ; but one of the officers on 

 board the " Hinemoa " has a specimen in his possession 

 which is perfectly white ; and I find that Dr. Kidder, in his 

 description of the birds of Kerguelen's Island, says of this 

 species, " The egg is single, white, and very long in proportion 

 to its thickness." On its nesting habits he gives the following 

 interesting particulars : " October 24 : Two of the Dusky 

 Albatroses had made a nest upon a shelf formed by a consider- 

 able tuft of cabbage and Azorella at the entrance of a small 

 cavity in the perpendicular face of a lofty rock, near the top 

 of a hill some two miles away. Here the birds could be both 

 seen and heard. Their scream is very loud, and not unlike 

 one of the calls of a cat. At a distance it has often been 

 mistaken for the hail of a man. The name ' Pee-arr ' has 

 been given as descriptive of this call, which is, I believe, 

 peculiar to the breeding-season. Another pair was seen same 

 day circling around the same hilltop. No eggs.- — -November 2 : 

 Secured one egg and both birds. The nest is a conical mound, 

 7in. or Sin. high, hollowed into a cup at the top, and lined 

 rudely with grass. The male was sitting when captured ; the 

 female standing on another old nest not far away, but higher 

 up the face of the rock. There was no evidence of an inten- 

 tion to rebuild the old nest. Both birds, but particularly the 

 male, showed fight when approached, clattering their large 

 bills with an odd noise, and biting viciously when they got a 

 chance. The male is perceptibly the larger bird of the two. 

 Although I have often observed the Dusky Albatros sailing 

 along very close to the surface of the water, or circling round 

 rocky hilltops, I have never seen it feed, except in captivity. 

 Then both birds ate freely of fresh meat. The peculiar call, 

 which can be heard for a very long distance, is most often 

 given by the sitting bird, and answered by its mate flying near 

 by. . . . — November 12 : I found another bird on a nest 

 in a locality similar to that already described. It stared 

 stupidly at me, clattering its beak, and turning its head from 

 side to side, but making no effort to escape. There was no 

 egg. The narrow line of white feathers above and behind the 

 eyes gives these birds a singular and striking appearance — a 



