NATATORES. 441 



Genus PHCEBETRIA, Reichenhach. 



Only one species of this form has yet been discovered. It 

 exhibits some peciiHarities in the structure of its bill, in the 

 lengthened or acuminate shape of its tail, and in the large 

 size of its wings. These departures from the structure of the 

 other Albatroses have an influence on its actions and economy, 

 as will be perceived on perusal of the following description. 



Sp. 623. PHCEBETRIA FULIGINOSA,. Gmel. 



Sooty Albatros. 



Diomedea fuliginosa, Gmel. Edit, of Linn. Syst. Nat,, vol. i. p. 568. 



palpebi-ata, Foi'st. Drawings, No. 102. 



antarctica, Banks^s Drawings, No. 26. 



/«5ca, And. Birds of Amer., vol. iv. pi. 407. — lb. Orn. Bio., 



vol. V. p. 116. 

 {Phcebetria) fuliginosa, Bonap. Compt. Rend, de I'Acad. Sci., 



1856. 

 Black Albatros, Linn. Trans., vol. xii. p. 489. 

 Sooty Albatros, Lath. Gen. Syn., vol. v. p. 309. 



Diomedea fuliginosa, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vii. pi. 44. 



The Phcebetria fuliginosa IS one of the commonest species of 

 the genus, and is universally distributed over all the tempe- 

 rate latitudes to the southward of the equator. On referring 

 to my notes- 1 find that it first came under my notice on the 

 23rd of July 1838, in lat. 31° 10' S.,long. 34° W., when three 

 examples were seen flying round the ship, which they con- 

 tinued to do until we doubled the Cape and entered the South 

 Indian Ocean, on the 14th of August. It was constantly 

 seen between the island of St. Paul and Tasmania, but was 

 never very numerous, six or eight being the greatest number 

 that I saw at any one time ; and days sometimes passed away 

 without more than a single individual having made its ap- 

 pearance. On my voyage homeward it was noticed on the 



