84 



Mathews, '' What are Anstyalian Petrels ?"■ [,st''''oct 



South New Zealand, on the faith of a specimen in the British 

 iMuseum from Adelaide. Re-examination of the specimen suggests 

 tliat the record is unreHable, and for the present there seems to 

 be too much doubt for its acceptance. Captain S. A. White 

 writes that it may occur, and that he may have seen it, but he 

 has not yet procured it. As its east coast representative was 

 long mistaken for a different species, there is no course save 

 rejection until l)irds are actuallv secured. 



Procellaria aequinoctialis steadi (White-chinned Petrel). — There 

 is a specimen in the British Meusum labelled " Tasmania, " but 

 there is no authenticity to the record. Consequently this species 

 must be rejected until we get a good record. 



Procellaria conspicillata conspicillata (Spectacled Petrel). — 

 Descril)ed h\ doukl from Tasmanian seas, this species has not 

 lieen since collected. Gould later wrote : — " The Majuqiwiis 

 coiispicilhitiis flies both in the Atlantic and Pacific, but is most 

 plentiful between the twenty-fifth and fiftieth degrees of south 

 latitude. I observed it to be very abundant about the islands 

 of St. Paul and Amsterdam, and thence to Tasmania. I also 

 noticed it in considerable numbers off the Falkland Islands, in 

 the Atlantic, and in the neighbourhood of Tristan d'Acunha." 

 Ramsa\- only gives it as lo and 13, and has no specimen in the 

 Museum. Campbell gives the same range, writing : — " This large, 

 dark-coloured Petrel, with conspicuous white markings about its 

 face, is a flier over the southern seas, and has been noted off New 

 South Wales and Tasmania. There l.ias been a little difiiculty 

 about determining the species on account of the variation in 

 some individuals of the facial markings, especially under the 

 chin." He ranked conspicillatus as a synonym of ccqiiinoctialis, 

 so that the above remarks might refer to both. He quoted 

 Eaton's remarks about the Kerguelen birds : — " In none of the 

 Kerguelen specimens did the patch extend to the forehead, as 

 it docs in the birds from Australia." This was due to the fact 

 that in the British Museum all the conspicillata birds have been 

 labelled " Australia " on account of (iould's locality, but none 

 bear an original label giving that place. A l)ircl from dould's 

 collection bears the note " n. sp. near cequinoctialis " on the 

 original label in Gould's handwriting, and on the other side 

 " Brooke." This must have been one of the birds collected before 

 (jould described the species, and I surmise " Brooke " may have 

 been the name of the sailor who procured it. Unfortunately, 

 none of Gould's notebooks was preserved, so that all we have 

 to go on is the fact that " he observed it to be very abundant 

 about the islands of St. Paul and Amsterdam." This suggests 

 that region as the type locality of the species, and not " Tasmanian 

 Seas," especially as no recent voyager has noted it in Australian 

 waters. This species must be rejected until examples are again 

 procured. 



Priofinus cinereus (Brown Pitrrl). In this instance Gould 



