Buller. — On CEstrelata neglecta. 133 



of CEstrelata leucophrjjs, and, following Mr. Salvin, I then 

 stated my belief that, instead of being a distinct species, it was 

 only a form of CE. neglecta. We have not had to wait long 

 for confirmation of this view. I have the pleasure of exhibit- 

 ing to-night a pair of birds kindly lent to me for that purpose 

 by Mr. Bethune, the second engineer of the " Hinemoa." 

 The male bird is in the plumage of Professor Hutton's CEstre- 

 lata leucoj)hrj/s, whilst the female is in the ordinary plumage 

 of CEstrelata neglecta. They were taken by Mr. Bethune 

 himself from their breeding-burrow on Sunday Island. In- 

 deed, Mr. Bethune assures me that on every occasion he can 

 remember— and he has collected many of these birds in the 

 breeding -season — he has found the two kinds mated and 

 breeding together. From this it might be inferred that the 

 difference of plumage is sexual. As against this view, how- 

 ever, I have to exhibit a specimen in an intermediate state of 

 plumage, the sides of the head and neck being very prettily 

 rayed with dusky grey ; also an example with a still whiter 

 head than Mr. Bethune's male bird presents. All this 

 goes to prove the correctness of Mr. Salvin's contention as 

 to the variability of this species in regard to plumage. It is 

 perfectly clear, therefore, that CEstrelata leucovhrys will not 

 stand as a species. 



At the same time that I submitted my specimens of CE. 

 neglecta to Mr. Salvin (as stated in my former paper, page 123) 

 I showed him also a pair in entirely dark plumage, which 

 seemed to me to be distinct, and which, in that case, I 

 proposed to dedicate to Captain Fairchild, who has done so 

 much to increase our knowledge of the birds inhabiting the 

 outlying islands. Mr. Salvin expressed a strong belief that 

 these were referable to the same species in a dark phase of 

 plumage, and said that nothing would satisfy him to the con- 

 trary short of finding the dark-coloured birds nesting together 

 apart from the lighter-coloured birds, and breeding true. I 

 felt bound to defer to the opinion of a naturalist who has made 

 the Petrel family his special study, so I abstained from re- 

 cording this supposed new form. The two specimens which I 

 exhibit to-night seem to prove that in this case also Mr. Salvin 

 was right in referring the bird to CEstrelata neglecta. In one 

 of them the entire plumage is brownish-grey, darker on the 

 upper surface, changing to brownish-black on the wings and 

 tail ; the primaries, secondaries, and tail-feathers being white 

 in their basal portion, with white shafts, darkening towards 

 the tip. In the other specimen the under surface is much 

 lighter, whilst on the throat there are indications of a change 

 to the pale-grey characteristic of ordinary specimens of CE. 

 neglecta. I think, therefore, we may pretty safely assume 

 that this is the young state of that species. 



