1^4 Macgillivkav, Koies on Sea-Birds. [ist^'jan. 



and evening, mostly uniform sooty colouring. Nine birds in all 

 with the evening mob at the stern. Six Wandering Albatrosses 

 {D. exiilans) in the evening mob at the stern ; most of them had 

 white tails, with dark wings and white olecranal spots {D. epomo- 

 phora epomophora). T. chrysostoma. — Six of these Flat-billed 

 Albatrosses were also in the crowd of birds at the stern ; all grey 

 head and face ; face usually darker than the top of the head, tail 

 dark, rump white, feet fleshy or dark yellow ; broad yellow stripe 

 on culmen ; no yellow on mandible except at the base ; under wing 

 median white stripe. Only one Mollymawk {T. melanophrys) was 

 with the following crowd. More White-headed Petrels {(E. lessoni) 

 than on any other day ; pale grey or- whitish head, dark eye stripe, 

 darker or mottled grey back, light grey rump, and white tail ; very 

 dark wings above and below, under surface of body white. Brown 

 Petrels {P. cinereus) were absent on this day for the first time since 

 leaving the Cape. Black Petrel (sp. ?), a few about. Prions 

 (sp. ?) were in fair numbers. At noon, lat. 39° 52' S., long. 

 119° 05' E. 



2ist June. — Very calm sea, with slight swell this morning. 

 Several Sooty Albatrosses were in attendance early, one Molly- 

 mawk (T. melanophrys) and one Grey-headed or Flat-billed 

 Albatross {T. chrysostoma culminata). The same black Petrel 

 and the Prions were also present. One specimen of the Brown 

 Petrel (P. cinereus) was seen. Not many Petrels were about all 

 day, but in the afternoon, at about 5 p.m., the ship was followed 

 by 26 Albatrosses, made up of the following species : — ^Wandering 

 {D. exulans), one a dark bird, the back being darkly mottled ; 

 Black-browed {T. melanophrys), six ; Flat-billed {T. chrysostoma), 

 one ; Sooty (P. fusca), seventeen ; and Light-mantled Sooty 

 Albatross (P. palpehrata), one. They came closely over the 

 stern of the boat, and every detail of their plumage could be made 

 out. The Sooties were of the all-dark kind, only one greyish one 

 being present. The Flat-billed Albatross {T. chrysostoma) has 

 fleshy-coloured feet. When going down to the water to settle, 

 both this kind and the Black-browed (P. melanophrys) act 

 similarly. They first extend the legs and feet, spreading the 

 webs, and also the tail and wings, and circle down, alighting with 

 a fluttering motion of the extended and elevated wings. At noon, 

 lat. 38" 39' S., long. 124^ 56' E. 



22nd June. — Another calm day, cloudy, with slight swell. 

 Many Albatrosses were following in the morning — two Wandering 

 Albatrosses [D. exulans), one all brown, the other in ordinary 

 mature plumage ; one Flat-billed Albatross (P. chrysostoma) 

 followed ; P. melanophrys, six. One of these birds, when feeding 

 on the sea, was seen to dive after some sinking food ; it remained 

 completely under water for several seconds. One Brown Petrel 

 (P. cinereus) was noted and one Black Petrel. In the evening, 

 when scraps from the galleys were being thrown overboard, 30 

 Albatrosses were following, made up of Wandering {D. exulans), 

 two ; Sooty (P. fusca), four ; and all the rest Black-browed (P. 

 melanophrys). One small silvery-grey Petrel, no larger than a 



