646 BIRDS OF THE GALAPAGOS ARCHIPELAGO— lUDGWAY. vol.xix. 



Family DIOMEDEIDJ5. 



Genus DIOMEDEA, Linnaeus. 

 Diomedca, LiNX.F.rs. Syst. Xiit.,l()tli cd.. T, 1758, p. 11^1'. Type. I>. csiihum. Liinmus. 



Rauf/e. — Southern seas and I'acitic Ocean in <ieneral. (ialapagosi 

 Islands (two widely ranging species). ' 



? DIOMEDEA EXULANS, Linnaeus. 



inomedea e.r)(/a«.s, LiNNvEUS, Syst. Nat., 10th ed., I, 1758, p. 132. — ""WoT.r, Bosnch 

 a(is deu Galap. Iseln, 1879, p. (2(59) 13" (Hood Islaud, Galapagos Archipel- 

 ago).— Baird, Brkwkk, and Kii>g\vay, AVater Birds N. Amer., II, 1884, p. 

 317.— RiiMiWAY, Man. N. Auicr. Birds, 1887, p. 51. 



Eange. — Southern seas in general, north, casually, to Florida (Tampa 

 Bay and mouth of St. Johns River) and Washirigton. (lalapagos Archi- 

 pelago (Hood Island, Wolf). 



Xo specimens Inn ing been preserved, the identification of this species 

 is doubtful. Indeed, only Habel and Wolf have recorded the occur- 

 rence among the (Jalapagos Islands of birds undoubtedly belonging to 

 this genus. Tlie former saw at Ilood Island "two kinds of albatrosses. 

 One had a dark blackish breast and a white band crossing the head 

 from one eye to the other [/>. nufn'pes, Audubon ?|; the breast of the 

 other was gray, and the head black."' The latter may have been an 

 immature i). e.ri(I<(ns. According to Wolf the last-named siiecies was 

 at one time veiy abundant on Hood Island. He says: 



I would mention as a curious zoological fact tliat the alliatross of this island 

 (Hi>od;, and only this, occurs in such abundance that the entire caniji of Orchilla 

 collectors (more than (iO men) lived for a month chietly upon its eggs, although each 

 female lays but one egg. It is evidently the widespread albatross from the Cape of 

 (;ood Hope (Dioiiiedra cnilaiix). which is also very abniulant about ("a))e Horn.-' 



Noddy of the Pacific and Indian oceans from that of tiit! Atlantic. I was surprised to 

 lind them really ditferent. The differences of measurements and proportions jiointed 

 out by Dr. Cones (loc. cit.) hold good in a very much larger series of specimens than 

 that which he examined, the pilenm being decidedly darker and the general colora- 

 tion darker and less brown in specimens from the Pacific and Indian oceans than in 

 those from the Atlantic (trne J. ^tolidiis), the tail decidedly longer and more grad- 

 uated, etc. It is probable, however, that still Inrther subdivision will be necessary 

 when a larger number of specimens have been compared. For example, specimens 

 i'rom Cocos Island, off" I'auama Bay, are darker and less brown thiin those from the 

 Seychelles (true A. ronsscaui ?),\ie\\ig, in fact, nearly intermediate between the latter 

 and the (ialapagos form (A. (jdlapaijeiisis). 



It is very likely an earlier name, based upon the bird from some part of the Pacific 

 or Indian oceans, may be found. Stenid phMlpphui, Latham (Index Ornithologicus, 

 II, 1790, p. 805), cited by JJiasius (Jouru. fiir Orn., 1866. \). 83) as a eyuouymof J. 

 stoliduH, seems, however, scarcely applicable. 



•See Trans. Zool. Soe. London, IX, Pt. ix, 1S7H, pj). 15S, 459. 



-Besuch aiis den (Ialapagos Inselu, 1879, p. (269) 13. 



