292 Transactions. — Zoology. 



when they pass to and from their breeding-place on the north- 

 east end of the Little Barrier Island. It is well known to the 

 Maoris living there by the name of " titi," and is, no donbt, so 

 called in reference to its cry. I measured many examples one 

 year, and found that the measurements of different individuals 

 varied considerably, and the colour to a slight degree, and am 

 therefore of the opinion that P. mollis and P. cookii are iden- 

 tical, the distinction between these, so far as can be judged 

 by descriptions, being principally based on measurements. 



Procellaria ijouldi. 



This is the "oii" of the Barrier Maoris. Great numbers of 

 this bird visit here annually for the purpose of breeding, and 

 the young, when about ready to depart, are secured by the 

 natives, who call with that intention, and boiled down in 

 their own fat for future use. This, I am informed, has been 

 the custom since time immemorial, and the ancestors of the 

 people who now call occupied, at no very remote time, the 

 Mokohinou Islands permanently, many of them being buried 

 in part of the boulder-beach which is still considered taini. 

 This petrel begins to burrow in March, and continues to do so 

 up to the middle cf June, when more or less nesting-material 

 is carried in, both birds being invariably found in the burrow 

 during the day from May up to the time of laying. The bur- 

 row, which is seldom deep or long, is generally situated 

 amongst the flax, or on the open ground where it is suffi- 

 ciently soft and free from stones. On the 27th June, 1888, 

 I examined sixteen burrows, and in thirteen of these found a 

 bird, each sitting on a fresh-laid egg ; the other three nests con- 

 tained each two birds, but no egg. No eggs having been found 

 previous to the 24th, it may be assumed that most of the laying- 

 occurs during the last week of June. The young, which are 

 greyish-black when in down, begin to leave during the last 

 week of December, and by the 7th of January all but a few 

 stragglers have departed. The young, when handled, often 

 eject their food, which I find to consist of Medusae and 

 minute shrimps, but I have seen no trace of fish, excepting in 

 December, when eyeballs, like those found in the stomach of 

 Puffimis tristis, are sometimes thrown up. In December, 

 1886, I saw an albino of P. goulcli. It was a young bird of a 

 uniform dirty- white colour, and had been found by a Maori, 

 who kept it till I saw it. I am told by the Maoris that they 

 usually find one or two every year amongst the thousands of 

 young birds captured ; but the specimen referred to is the only 

 one I have seen. This species used to strike the lantern in great 

 numbers, but rarely does so now. In December, 1888, the 

 natives potted 3,000 young birds, taken off Mokohinou and 

 I'anal Islands. 



