6. (ESTRELATA. 415 



chest white, irregularly barred or vermiculatcd with deep greyish. 

 Wing lU-0, tail 4-0 (graduated for -iJ), culmen 1-02, depth of bill at 

 base -5, tarsus 1"2, middle toe with claw 1"55." {Ridgivay, Man. N. 

 Am. Birds, p. 67.) 



With Mr. Rothschild's permission, I sent a New-Zealaud speci- 

 men of (E. affinis to Washington, to be compared with Peale's type of 

 (E. gidaris. Mr. Ridgway writes to me concerning them as follows : — 



" I have carefully compared the bird (i. e. (E. ajjinis) with the 

 types of CE. gidaris (Peale) and (E. Jisheri, Ridgw., and have no 

 doubt whatever as to its being of the same species as the former, 

 as you supposed it to be. The type of (E. gidaris has the plumage 

 saturated with oil from the skin, and is therefore considerably dis- 

 coloured ; the upper parts being much darkened, and the grey of 

 the under parts browner than in the Rothschild specimen. Making 

 due allowance, however, for this, the plumage is practically iden- 

 tical ; while the measurements (which were taken, the two specimens 

 one immediately after the other) are as near the same as possible." 



Mr. Rothschild has several specimens of this species in his col- 

 lection, including the type of (E. affinis (BuUer). 



Ilab. Antarctic Ocean (Peale) ; New Zealand Seas (Buller). 



a. Ad. sk. New Zealand Seas. Hon. W. Rothschild [P.]. 



24. (Estrelata fisheri. 



.^strelata iisheri, RidffW. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 656 (.Tune 



1883), vi. p. 18 (1885); id. Man. N. Am. Birds, p. 68 (1887); 



id. Auk, 1B05, p. 319, pi. i; A. 0. U. Check-l. N. Am. Birds, 



p. 103 (1886). 

 (Estrelata fisheri, Coues, Key N. Am. Birds, ed. 2, p. 780 (1884) ; 



Baird, Brew., ^- Ridgw. Water-Birds N. Am. ii. p. 396 (1884) ; 



Ridgw. Pr. U.S. Nat. Mus. viii. p. 18 (1885). 



" Inner webs of primaries abruptly white for at least the inner 

 half ; wing more than 9 inches ; back uniform grey ; top of the 

 head white, spotted with greyish. Back and scapulars fine bluish 

 grey or plumbeous ; lesser wing-coverts slaty blackish ; greater and 

 middle coverts slate-grey, broadly margined with white ; tail mostly 

 white, irregularly barred and vermiculatcd with grey ; lores, cheeks, 

 chin, throat, middle of chest, and under tail-coverts immaculate 

 pure white ; a blackish spot immediately beneath the eye ; sides of 

 the neck and chest densely mottled and vermiculatcd with ash-grey 

 and white, but the former prevailing ; lower breast, beUj-, sides, 

 and flanks smoky plumbeous superficially, but the feathers all pure 

 white immediately beneath the surface. Wing 10" 15, tail 4 (gra- 

 duated for -9), culmen 1"0, tarsus 1-25, middle toe with claw 1"7." 

 {Ridgway, Man. N. Am. Birds, p. 67.) 



Hah. North Pacific Ocean, near Alaska. 



This species is only known from the type in the United States 

 National Museum at Washington. 



Mr. Ridgway has recently sent me the following comparison of 

 (E. jisheri with (E. gidans: — 



" (E. fisheri differs conspicuously from (E. gvJaris in the very 



