^''lel^^] ALEXANDER, Australian Sea Hirds. 269 



tiful as the W est Australian coast was ai^proached. Great num- 

 bers were seen close to Rottnest Island, and some were Hying 

 about between the island and the mainland. Until this day none 

 had been observed with black bills, but here they were in the 

 majority. The plumage of the back and wings in the black-billed 

 specimens is distinctly brownish black. It is of interest to learn 

 from The Ibis, 1920, p. 693, that Mr. Carter observed a good 

 many off Point Cloates on September 12th, 1913, in this plumage, 

 indicating that the bird he secured there previously, which be- 

 came the type of D. earteri, was not a mere casual visitor. It 

 would appear that the immature birds hug the coast, and do 

 not venture out into the ocean like the adults, though presumably 

 they cross the ocean from some remote breeding ground to reach 

 Western Australia. A few of this species were observed on the 

 coast of New South Wales in October, 1921. 



Diomedea cauta. While-capped Mollymawk. — These birds 

 were lairl\- numerous off the Cape of Good Hope in June, 1921, 

 and odd specimens appeared on five occasions in the Indian 

 Ocean in longitudes 32, 63, 68, 82 and 110 E., respectively, the 

 last being not very far from the West Australian coast. On No- 

 vember 19th, 1921, I picked up the remains of a Mollymawk at 

 ^^>llington Point, Moreton Bay, which from the dimensions of 

 the bill and form of the groove on the lower mandible, must be 

 attributed to this species. Mrs. Mayo informed me that she 

 had seen it a week earlier at the same spot, when it was in com- 

 [)aratively good condition. The skull is now in the Queensland 

 Museum. 



Phoebetria fusca. Sooty Albatross. — These birds were seen in 

 the Indian Ocean eveiy day but three for a forinight between 

 49 deg. E. and 106 deg. E., being specially numerous in 63 deg. 

 E. They generally come so near the ship that it is easy to make 

 out the characteristic features, including the white ring round 

 the eye, the white shaft of the first primary and the yellow 

 groove on the mandible. A very interesting specimen was ob- 

 served on June 26th. It had a white patch on the nape, and 

 the neck was whitish all round. The rest of the plumage was 

 more mottled than in ordinary birds, and the bill was black with- 

 out any yellow line on the mandible. This agrees with the de- 

 scription of the young of P. fiisca given in Starke and Sclater's 

 Birds of South x\frica. The bird was certainly not P. palpebrata, 

 as the mantle was as dark as in P. fiisca, two specnnens of 

 which were in view at the same time. Subsequently I saw an- 

 other specimen, which had a pale grey [latch on the back of the 

 neck. Ferguson records several specimens more or less similar 

 (Emu, xxi., pp. 108-9). 



Gelochelidon nilotica. Gull-billed Tern. — This species is com- 

 mon at I'risbane, and during the winter numbers may be seen 

 on the Brisbane Ri\er at all times. A few remam throughout 

 the summer. I have never previously had good opportunities of 



