° 1914 ] Murphy, Birdti of the South Atlantic. 445 



paradisoea) ; all the others Tubinares. Very few of the birds 

 showed any fear, or were disturbed by the roar of a gun. A * Molly- 

 moke ' (Diomedea melanophrys) hovered over the dory at a distance 

 of six or eight feet for many minutes. It seemed much interested 

 in us and followed the little boat whichever way we turned. I 

 found that a winged specimen of Procellaria cequinodialis could 

 swim about as fast as a lusty sailor could row. One Fregetta gral- 

 laria flew nearby as we came on board the brig at dusk. 



November 11. Heavy fog; calm; no reckoning. Three ' Whale- 

 birds' (Prion sp.) were observed. The 'Whale-bird' or 'Blue 

 Petrel ' breeding at South Georgia seems to be Prion banksi, and by 

 this name I shall designate the species seen in the South Atlantic. 



Late in the afternoon a long stick of lumber floated past us. It 

 was covered with 'goose barnacles' and accompanied by the 

 usual school of fish, and four skuas (Catharacta sp.) were standing 

 upon it. One 'Mollymoke' (Diomedea melanophrys) followed us 

 throughout the day. 



November 12, lat. 39° 41' S. Brisk northerly winds varying 

 toward the east. The first large mass of floating kelp (Macrocystis) 

 was sighted. Prion banksi became abundant. Phoebetria, and a 

 flock of Sterna (paradisceaf) were noted. One of three 'Cape 

 Pigeons ' (Petrella) which followed us for a time had a bright, rose- 

 colored breast, doubtless due to some oily substance upon which 

 it had been feeding. The ejecta of captive ' Cape Pigeons ' were 

 sometimes pinkish or orange. 



November 14, lat. 42° 24' S., long. 42° 28' W. Moderate wind, 

 cold. Early in the morning before any Oceanites petrels had picked 

 up our track, four of Diomedea melanophrys were following us and 

 flying forward again and again around the bow. Presently the 

 first recorded example of Thalassogeron culminatus flew over the 

 quarter deck almost within arm's reach. All five of these * Molly- 

 mokes ' remained with us during the day. They occasionally 

 dropped to the water for food, and I saw one D. melanophrys dive 

 quite out of sight in our wake and come up with its bill full of some- 

 thing. When I put out a baited hook one of them alighted and 

 examined it, but flew off again without touching it. Thereafter 

 the birds halted in the air for an instant whenever they spied the 

 trailing pork fat, but after cocking their heads and eyeing it sharply, 



