REPORT ON THE ANATOMY OF THE PETRELS. 5 
that we are indebted for nearly our whole existing knowledge of the important subject of 
the pterylosis of birds. In his classical, though posthumous, Pterylographie the Nasute 
seu Tubinares form the second group of his order Natatores, and the pterylosis of the group 
is described at some length. Further details of Nitzsch’s observations are recorded below 
(infra, p. 14) in the space devoted to the consideration of the pterylographical characters 
of these birds. So far as I am aware nothing else was contributed by Nitzsch to our 
knowledge of this group. 
In the same year as that in which the Pterylographie appeared, Rudolph Wagner, a 
disciple of Nitzsch’s, contributed to the tenth volume of Naumann’s Vogel Deutschlands! 
some remarks on the anatomical structure of three genera of Tubinares included in that 
work, namely, Procellaria, Fulmarus, and Puffinus. These consisted of short notes on the 
skeleton and the thoracic and abdominal viscera, and, as far as they go, are accurate 
enough. The general similarity in structure of the members of this group examined, as 
well as of Diomedea, is noted, as well as many points of resemblance to the Laride, and 
particularly Lestris. 
In the year 1844 MM. Hombron and Jacquinot communicated to the Academy of 
Sciences in Paris a paper entitled “ Remarques sur quelques points de l’anatomie et de la 
physiologie des Procellaridées, et essai d’une nouvelle classification de ces oiseaux.” 
An abstract, by the authors, is published in the Comptes Rendus for that year.” The 
material for their paper was obtained, I may remark, during the expedition of the French 
ships “ Astrolabe” and “ Zélée,” commonly known as the Voyage au Péle Sud. Basing 
their classification on the form and structure of the beak, palate, and tongue, they 
divide up the group as follows :— 
1. Borders of mandibles excavated by a longitudinal furrow dividing them into 
inner and outer cutting surfaces. Tongue small, one-third the length of beak, sagittate, 
posteriorly and laterally denticulate. 
Three genera—Diomedea ; Puffinus, subdivided into Puffinus proper (anglorum, 
obscurus, fulaginosus?, &c.) and Priofinus (cinereus, equinoctialis, arcticus?); and Thalassi- 
droma (pelagica, leachui | =leucorrhoa], oceanica, fregetta [ = grallaria), marina. 
2. Edges of upper mandible with transverse lamelle. Tongue as long as the beak, 
large and thick, only free at the apex. 
One genus, Prion, divided into five sub-genera—Prion s.s., Daption, Fulmarus, Ossi- 
fraga, ad Priocella (for Priocella garnoti= Thalassceeca glacialoides of this paper). 
3. Mandibles simple, with no double cutting-edges or transverse lamelle, but with two 
slight, elongated “ teeth” ; palate smooth or nearly so ; tongue of intermediate length. 
One genus, Procellaria, separated into two groups, one with the beak quite short 
(nivea, desolata, brevirostris), the other with it long (antarctica, lessoni, hesitata, Forst. 
[= Adamastor cinereus] ). 
1 Loc, cit., pp. 555-656, 587-588, 614-617. 2 Loe. cit., tom. xviii. pp. 353-358. 
