INTRODUCTION TO THE CATALOGUE OF 

 TUBINAKES. 



I 



U I' WARDS of twenty years liave passed since I began to pay special 

 attention to the Petrels, and during that time, with Mr. Godman, 

 collected all the available specimens we came across. But the 

 amassing anything like a good scries of skins of these birds proved 

 a very slow process. Our chief acquisition, by exchange, was the 

 greater part of the collection formed by the late John Gould, whose 

 early interest in the Petrels generally is M'cll-known, and was con- 

 tinued after he parted with his Australian collection. Amongst the 

 specimens thus accjuired by us were many of great interest, as will 

 be seen in the following pages. Another valuable series of Petrels 

 was most kindly given to us in 1883 by Admiral A. H. Markham, 

 having been formed by him when in command of H.M.lS. ' Tiiumph ' 

 on the Pacific Station. This collection contained the types of Oceano- 

 (Iroma inarkhami, Salv., and Diomedea irrorata, Salv., the last a 

 remarkable Albatros from the coast of Peru, of which the type 

 still remains the only known example. The whole of our series 

 was handed over to the British Museum in 1888. 



The Museum Collection, apart from that added by us, is a rich 

 one and includes the spoils of several important Government Expe- 

 ditions. Of these I may mention the following : — The Antarctic 

 Expedition of H.M.SS. ' Erebus ' and ' Terror ' under Sir James 

 Koss ; the Voyage of H.M.S. ' Rattlesnake,' the naturalist of which 

 was John Macgillivray ; the Voyage of H.M.S. ' Herald,' naturalist 

 ¥. M. Rayner. Then came the Transit of Venus Expedition to 

 Kerguclen Land, resulting in a collection of Petrels and interesting 

 notes on them by the Rev. A. E. Eaton, forming a large part of 

 Dr. Bowdler Sharpe's article on tlic Birds of the island published in 

 I he • Philosophical Transactions,' vol. 168. The voyage of H.M.S. 

 ' Challenger ' produced a most valuable collection of Petrels' skins, 

 spirit specimens and eggs, tl\e first of which were named Ijy myself, 



