NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 185 



Lath, Ind. Ora ii. 1790, p. 790. Temm. PL Col. 468. Gould, B. Aust. 

 pi 42, and of autliors fjeiierally ; but not of Audubon and Lawrence. 

 Diomede.a (Thalassarchc) chlororln/nc/ia, Bp. C. A, ii. 1855, p. 

 ^- D'iomedea c'lri/w.sloma, Forst. Ed. Licht, 1844, p. 24. " IJ. ic. ined. 100, 101," 



fide Graj'. 

 " Diomedca profuga. Banks, ic. ined. t. 27,'' fide Gray. 

 '■'■ DiomeJea presaga, Brandt," fide Lawrence. 



UahUal — Cape of Good Hope, and thence to Van Diemea's Land. Aus- 

 tralian and South Pacific Oceans generally. 



Tne bill is compressed in its whole extent more tba-i in any other species 

 except/«7/(/w.'/.v« ,■ aud althou'^h somewhat stouter ai the ba.e, ic i.s there very 

 hij^h as compared with its width. Its dorsal oalline is very concave, descend- 

 ing rapidly from a point a little anterior to the extreme base of t'le bill, to 

 about the middle; and not rising again very high on ths unguis. Although 

 the culminicorn is narrow an 1 wiih co nprossed sides, it is not carinatod along 

 it-! dorsal lin^ It has a peculiar termimtion basally, quite unique in the genus, 

 which single (diarac*.er separates it trenchantly from any other Albatross. The 

 ciilminicora does not (as in exnlaiis, melanophri/s, etc.,) spread downwards and 

 outwards behind the nostrils to overlap their base.', but terminates by rapidly 

 narrowing to an acute angle on thrt median line of the bill. Its hard, brightly 

 colored, pointed base does no' quite reach to the feathers. There is thus left, 

 between the base of the culminicorn and the upper edge of the latericorn, a 

 somewhat triangular space of softish integument, not brightly colored ; arid 

 corrugated in the dry state. 



The lateral sulcus on the upper mandible does not extend further towards 

 the base of the bill than the nostrils : the soft skin just spoken of taking its 

 place thence to the feathers. Beginning then with the nostrils, it has a slight 

 aownward convexity as far as the unguis; thence it is greatly deflected. As 

 usual, a slight ridge lies in this sulcus for its whslp length. The commissural 

 edge of the upper mandible is strongly curved, its convexity looking down- 

 wards. The dorsal outline of the inferior mandibular rami is straight or very 

 slightly concave. The iuterramicorn is thin, not very prominent, but pro- 

 loneed far &I >ng the chin before it merges into soft skin. 



The two ungues, taken t igether, are characterized by their slight compnra- 

 tive depth and degree of convexity, and their extreme compression and 

 elongation ; and by the acuteness and decurration of their apices. 

 The nostrils are exactly as described under melauophri/x. 



The frontal feathers are peculior in outline. They lie straight across the 

 b:\se of the culmen, or even have a slight convexity, as far as the upper corner 

 of (he base of the latericorn. Thence they descend the side of the bill, with a 

 slightly convex outline, and some little obliquity forwards ; forming more de- 

 cidedly reentrant angles at the sujjerior basal corners of the latericorns than is 

 found iu any other species. On the side of the lower mandible, beginning at a 

 point slighily posterior to their termination on the upper mandible, they de- 

 scend with an outline parallel to that of those on the upper mandible. 



Chord of culraen 4 50 : height ot bill at base 1-50, at unguis 1-00 ; width 

 at b se 1-00. Tarsus 2-75; middle toe 4-25; outer toe 4-00; inner toe 3-75. 

 Wing about 19-00. Tail 7-00. 



White ; including rump, upper tail coverts and under surfaces of the wing's ; 

 back and wings ashy brown, the latter datkest. Primary shafts light brown 

 basally, black apicaily. Tail grayish or plumbeous black, lightest basally ; 

 its shafts chiefly white. Some part of the head and ueck in the majority of 

 specimens is clouded with pearly gray. There is more or le.= s of a grayish 

 plumbeous transocular fascia, as in mi'lanophn/s. The culminicorn is bright 

 orange yellow ; and a narrow line of the same color lies along the sides of the 

 base of the und- r mandible. The rest of tbe bill is blackish ; there being no 

 blight color along the dorsal outline of the inferior mandibular rami, as seen 

 in culminata. The feet are livid flesh, or bluish white. 



1866.] 



