BuLLEK. — On New Zealand Ornithology. 351 



men. The Albatros was the first that had been seen for a 

 month." 



Diomedea salvini, Eothschild. (Salvin's Albatros.) 



On a recent visit to Wanganui I was invited by Mr. Drew, 

 the curator of the museum, to examine and identify a live 

 Albatros which had just come in. The bird proved to be an 

 adult specimen (apparently a female) of Dioviedea salvini. 

 Mr. Drew gave me the particulars of its capture, which would 

 seem to indicate that this bird is nocturnal in its h'abits. A 

 party of fishermen in their boat, at 2 o'clock the previous 

 morning — the night being starlight but without any moon — 

 were waiting for the dawn, in order to fish for schnapper. 

 They saw the Albatros hovering about them, and threw out 

 a piece of bait on a line. The bird at once descended to the 

 water, took the hook in its bill, and was towed on board. 

 In this specimen the bill is grey with a yellowish unguis ; the 

 black pencilled lines and the yellow cartilage are very con- 

 spicuous. 



CEstrelata neglecta, Schl. (Schlegel's Petrel.) 



I find that in quoting Mr. Bethune in relation to this 

 species (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxvii., p. 133), I rather over- 

 stated what he had said. He informs me that, although 

 he saw many of these birds mated in the breeding season, 

 as a matter of fact he "collected" only one pair — the speci- 

 mens which I had the pleasure of exhibiting at the meeting 

 of our society on the 5th September last. But, as far as 

 he could observe, the two phases of plumage were always 

 associated ; so that my general argument is not affected in 

 any way. But, as Mr. Bethune is a very careful observer, I 

 am anxious that he should be reported with strict accuracy. 

 On another point also I appear to have misunderstood him. 

 This species, he assures me, does not deposit its eggs in 

 a burrow, like so many of the other Petrels, but places them 

 in an open depression on the surface of the ground. 



CEstrelata affinis, Buller. (Mottled Petrel.) 



The bird of the first year differs from the adult in being 

 generally darker in plumage. The wdiole of the upper sur- 

 face, the sides of the breast, the sides of the body, flanks 

 and abdomen, dark slaty-grey, the feathers very minutely 

 margined with paler. Chin pure white ; lores, lower sides of 

 face, fore-neck, breast, and under tail-coverts white varied with 

 slaty-grey ; on the breast in freckled wavy lines. All the 

 median wing-coverts are stained with brown ; the inner webs 

 of all the wing-feathers pure white, as also are the larger 

 under wing-coverts. Bill black ; legs and feet yellowish-brown 

 (in dried specimen). / \ 



BRA 



