BuLLER. — On the Wandering Albatros. 341 



Mr, Eeiscliek's account of the nestling agrees with Mr. 

 Gould's, which is as follows : " The young are at first clothed 

 in a pure-white down, ivliich (jives place to the dark-broiuu 

 coloiiring mentioned above" (" Handb. B. of Aust.," ii., 

 p. 433). 



But the specimen in the Otago Museum to which Mr. 

 Eeischek refers is not, as his remarks would imply, a nestling 

 covered with white down, but a well-grown fledgling, with 

 tufts of white down still adhering to the plumage. This fledg- 

 ling has not assumed " plumage of a dark-brown colour," but is 

 of pearly whiteness. It is thus described in my second edition 

 of " The Birds of New Zealand " (vol. ii., p. 192) : " A fledgling, 

 however, in the Otago Museum — obtained at Campbell Island 

 ■ — is entirely without the dark plumage. It has not yet com- 

 pletely lost the dense, fluffy, pure-white down which forms 

 the clothing of the nestling. The head, neck, shoulders, 

 rump, tail, and entire under-surface are of the purest white, 

 having a fine silky gloss ; the interscapular region is traversed 

 longitudinally with club-shaped niarks of greyish-black, in- 

 creasing downwards, the larger feathers having their apical 

 jDortion completely covered ; upwards, towards the shoulders, 

 these marks diminish till they become mere arrow-heads ; on 

 the mantle there are numerous marginal bars, but there is no 

 vermiculation. The wings are brownish-black on their upper 

 surface varied with white, all the coverts having white 

 margins, and the quills are black. Bill yellowish-horn colour, 

 with a bluish tinge on the upper mandible." 



This is undoubtedly the "beautiful specimen" referred to 

 by Mr. Reischek, because Professor Parker mentions in a letter 

 to me that he had called his attention to it specially after his 

 return from the Auckland Islands. Its condition is quite 

 inconsistent with Mr. Eeiscliek's account of a direct transition 

 from the snow-white down into the dark plumage. 



In my account of the species {I.e.) 1 have described another 

 example, obtained at Waikanae, of small size, and evidently a 

 young bird. This one had the whole of the plumage pure- 

 white without any markings, excepting on the wings, which 

 were black on their upper surface, largely dappled with w-hite 

 especially towai'ds the humeral flexure. It is figured in my 

 plate of the species, being the back figure standing on a rock. 



The following was the only explanation I could offer 

 {I.e., p. 192) : "We cannot suppose that the albatros is first 

 pure-white, then dark-brown, and, after passing through 

 several intermediate states, pure-white again in extreme old 

 age. Nor would it be altogether safe, from the materials at 

 present before us, to construct a new species. I am inclined 

 rather to account for the differences I have mentioned on the 

 supposition of the existence of dimorphic phases of plumage. 



