14 NATURAL HISTORY OF KERGUELEN ISLAND. 



CESTRELATA LESSONI, {Oam.) Cctss. (pp. 27,39.) 



Oil pages 20 aud 27 of the report preceding this, upon the birds of 

 Kergueleu Island,* were described a series of undetermined young birds, 

 with the ucfte by Dr. Cones, " Not seen by me— probably some PuJ^fi- 

 nusJ^ Upon examination of the specimens preserved, there remains no 

 reasonable doubt that they are the young of GEestrelata lessoni. The bill 

 is that of an CEestrelata, and the measurements agree closely with those 

 of CE. lessoni, both from dried skins in the museums of the Philadelphia 

 Academy and Suiithsonian Institution, aud as taken by Dr. Kidder from 

 the recent specimens. These young birds were found on Kergueleu 

 Island as early as September 15, living in deep burrows in hill-sides. 

 At about the same time, an adult specimen was brought into camp by 

 one of the men attached to the party, with the statement that it had been 

 found with young, but was unfortunately not preserved, aud the old 

 biids were not found again until December 29, in a burrow without egg 

 or young. It will be remembered that (E. Mdderi, the only other species 

 of the genus known to be found on the island, was taken with egg on 

 October 21, and is thus excluded from consideration. From the Pro- 

 ceedings of the Philadelphia Academy for 1866,t we extract the follow- 

 ing description of the young of (E. lessoni : — 



" No. 15709, Smiths. Eegister, Terra del Fuego, T. R. Peale.— Entire 

 upper parts dusky fuliginous-brown ; the dorsal feathers usually with 

 somewhat light margins ; the color deepening on the wings and back 

 into brownish-black. Some of the secondaries, tertials, and upper co- 

 verts have a slight cinereous tinge. On the head and nape, the brown 

 is lighter than elsewhere ; and a somewhat diluted shade of thir color 

 extends adown the throat, thus completely enveloping the head, and 

 occupies likewise the upper half of the breast, quite across, as well as 

 all the sides under the wings. On the crissum, aud especially on all the 

 under tail-coverts, except immediately around the anus, the color again 

 deepens into brownish-black. The rest of the under parts are white. 

 The circumocnlar region is darker than the adjacent parts. 



" The foregouig is the most immature plumage known to me, and it 

 will be noticed that not only the colors themselves, but the pattern of 

 coloration, is radically distinct from those of the adults. In some spec- 

 imens is recognizable a faint shade of a darker color on the tips of thefeath- 



* Op. cit. vide note to p. 1 of this report. 



t Critical Review of the Family ProcellariidoB, part iv, by Dr. Elliott Coues, U. S. A., 

 p. 144. 



