Mr. A. Haagner — Miscellaneous Notes. 87 



examination. Of the .skulls contained in these pellets fully 

 50 per cent, were those of Bats, the remainder being Vlei rats 

 {Otomys irroratus). Bats are not included by Stark and 

 Sclater in the diet of these birds^ although 1 believe in 

 America they do form a small percentage. 



XII. — Miscellaneous Notes. 

 By Alwin Haagner, F.Z.S., Tvl. Zoological Gaxxlens. 



DiOMEDEA CAUTA, Gould. 



[ Thalassogeron layardi^ Salv., Rchw. Vogel Afrikas, i. 

 p. 23.] 



In 'The Ibis' for October 1905 (p. 558) Mr. Ogilvie- 

 Grant states that, on comparison with birds collected in New 

 Zealand and those in the Tring Museum, Thalassogeron 

 layardi becomes a synonym of D. cauta, Gould. 



There is a single example of this bird in the collection of 

 the Transvaal Museum, collected by the late J. v. 0. Marais at 

 Knysna, CO., on the 23rd August, 1899. This bird has the 

 })elt of black mentioned by Gould in his description of cauta. 

 The following is a description of this, the second or third 

 known example from South Africa : — 



Head and neck white ; a dark slate-coloured line from the 

 base of the culmen to the eye (where it spreads over the 

 region in front of the eye and is here very dark), extending 

 over the e^^e as a narrow eyebrow and gradually merging 

 into the pale slate-grey of the hinder crown and nape ; rest 

 of hind-neck and sides darker slate-grey, fading into white 

 on the sides of the upper breast. Remainder of plumage 

 agreeing with that of the adult. 



Total length of skin 930 mm.; wing 560; culmen 134 

 (measured in a straight line from tip of bill to base of culmen 

 on forehead) ; height of bill at base 50. 



[Eyes dusky; bill sky-blue; tarsus, feet, and claws white. 

 —J. r. 0. Marais.] 



