188 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



Geographical Distribution. — Seas of Tasmania and Australia 

 except the northern portion. 



Observations. — liound the southern coast of Tasmania the 

 White-capped Albatross is frequently to be seen not far from the 

 laud. It appears to be more plentiful there than off the innnediate 

 northern coast. Gould first detected this species as a distinctive 

 one when lying wind-bound in Recherche Bay. 



During the 1909 camp-out of the Tasmanian Field Naturalists' 

 Club on Freycinet Peninsula, several individuals of this species 

 were seen out in the bay. Albatross Island, in Bass Strait, is one 

 of its principal breeding grounds. Ov/ing to the difficulty of land- 

 ing on the island, the birds are very little disturbed. 



*FLAT OR BROAD-BILLED ALBATROSS 



[Thalassogeron cuhninatus, Gould). 



Male. — Head and neck whitish-grey; a patch of blackish in 

 front of and above the eye ; back blackish-brown ; tail dark greyish- 

 brown, shafts white; bill blackish, tip pale; legs and feet yellow. 

 Dimensions in mm.: — Length, 920; bill, 129; wing, 510; tail, 

 197; tarsus, 82. 



Fetnale. — Similar to male. 



Young. — "Has the head and neck dark grey; the space 

 between the upper mandible and the eyes, as well as a mark 

 above the latter, of a deeper shade; beneath the posterior side of 

 the lower eyelid a light grey mark; the cheeks whitish; bill black, 

 with indications of yellow in the middle portion of its ridge, and 

 with the outer edges of the lower mandible horn-coloured towards 

 the base; legs and feet yellowish-white " (BuUer). 



Nest. — " Composed outwardly of tussock-grass and mud, lined 

 inside with fine grass and feathers; situated on the top of a rock 

 or a loamy plain. Dimensions in inches: — External diameter at 

 top 12, at base 18; egg-cavity, 10 across by 5 deep (Emerson) " 

 (A. J. Campbell). 



Eggs. — " Clutch one; oval in form, smaller at one end; both 

 ends quite blunt; colour inclined to light creamy-white, with a 

 ring of seemingly fine, spattered burnt sienna specks or spots, 

 like those made by drawing a brush of colour across a stick, as a 

 painter does to get the effect of granite. They form a ring about 

 2 inches broad round the larger end. The centre of the ring 

 runs together in the fine markings, making the colour almost 

 solid, and fading away from the outer edge almost to needles' 

 points. Dimensions in inches: — 4.75 x 2.38" (Emerson). 

 According to Kutter:— (1) 4.25 x 2.75, (2) 4.11 x 2.7" (A. J. 

 Campbell). 



Breeding Season. — December and Jaiuu\ry. 



Geographical Distribution. — Seas of Tasmania, Australia, New 



