° ' ^20 j Loo mis, Procellaria alba Gmelin. 89 



During his second voyage (1772-1775), Captain Cook discovered 

 an island "situated in latitude 19° 48' South, longitude 178° 2' 

 West," which he called Turtle Island. 1 The position given agrees 

 well with that of Vatoa or Turtle Island of the Fiji group, lying in 

 latitude 19° 49' 11" S., longitude 178° 13' 38" W. 2 It is highly 

 probable that this island is the Turtle Island mentioned by Latham. 



Christmas Island of the Fanning group in the Central Pacific 

 was discovered by Captain Cook during his third voyage (1776- 

 1780). In narrating the circumstances of its discovery, Cook 

 remarks : " As we kept our Christmas here, I called this discovery 

 Christmas Island. I judge it to be about fifteen or twenty leagues 

 in circumference. It seemed to be of a semicircular form; or like 

 the moon in the last quarter, the two horns being the North and 

 South points; which bear from each other nearly North by East, 

 and South by West, four or five leagues distant. This West side, 

 or the little isle at the entrance into the lagoon, upon which we 

 observed the eclipse, lies in the latitude of 1° 59' North, and in the 

 longitude of 202° 30' East, determined by a considerable number of 

 lunar observations, which differed only 7' from the time-keeper; 

 it being so much less." 3 



In acknowledging the sources of his information, Latham says 

 in the preface of his ' General Synopsis of Birds :' 4 " Among these 

 [collections], the magnificent one at Leicester House, formed by Sir 

 Ashton Lever, ought to be particularly mentioned; as likewise the 

 favours received from the inspection of numerous subjects, the 

 produce of the last and the former voyages to the South Seas, in 

 the possession of Jos. Banks, Esq.; P. R. S. Soho Square." This 

 statement coupled with the statements in Latham's description 

 ("Inhabits Turtle and Christmas Islands. In the collection of Sir 

 Joseph Banks.") makes it clear that at least one of the original speci- 

 mens of Latham's White-breasted Petrel was obtained during 

 Cook's sojourn at Christmas Island. 



Happily, I have before me two unworn specimens of a Gadfly 

 Petrel (67317; 67331 U. S. Nat. Mus.) taken by Dr. Thomas Hale 



1 A Voyage towards the South Pole, and Round the World, 4th ed., Vol. II, 1784, p. 24. 



2 Bowditch, American Practical Navigator, 1906, p. 257. 

 ' A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, Vol. II, 1784, p. 1S9. 



4 Vol. I, p. iv, footnote. 



