NATATORES. 433 



the breeding- season ; and we know that such is the case, from 

 the circumstance of young birds and newly laid eggs not 

 having been found at the same time on the islands visited by 

 the oflicers of the expedition under Captain Ross. 



The Wandering Albatros varies much in colour at different 

 ages : very old birds are entirely white, with the exception of 

 the pinions, which are black ; and they are to be met with in 

 every stage, from pure white, white freckled, and barred with 

 dark brown, to dark chocolate-brown approaching to black, 

 the latter colouring being always accompanied by a white 

 face, which in some specimens is washed with buff ; beneath 

 the true feathers they are abundantly supplied with a fine 

 white down ; the bill is delicate pinky white inclining to yellow 

 at the tip ; irides very dark brown ; eyelash bare, fleshy and 

 of a pale green ; legs, feet, and webs pinky white. 



The young are at first clothed in a pure white down, which 

 gives place to the dark brown colouring mentioned above. 



Sp. 618. DIOMEDEA BRACHYURA, Temm. 



Short- TAILED Albatros. 



Diomedea hrachyura, Temm. PI. Col. 554. 

 chinensis, Temm. (G. R. Gray). 



Diomedea brachjrura, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vii. pi. 39. 



This is the only bird of this form, with which I am ac- 

 quainted, that flies to the northward of the equator, and it is 

 described in the present work more for the purpose of includ- 

 ing a second species of the restricted genus Dmmedea than 

 for its being strictly speaking an Australian bird ; still the 

 chances are that it does frequently visit the northern coasts of 

 that country, since it is abundantly dispersed over the North 

 Pacific and Indian Oceans ; it is, however, most numerous in 

 the China Seas. It is a very fine species, and only exceeded 

 in size by the Diomedea -exulans, to which it bears a consider- 

 able resemblance, but from which it may be distinguished by 



VOL. IL 2 P 



