Birds of the Bonin Islands. 105 



Tringoides empusa. Mr. Hoist obtained an example on Peel 

 Island on the 11th of July. 



Larus cachinnans. 



An immature example of a large Gull procured by Mr. 

 Hoist on Peel Island appears to belong to Pallas's Herriug 

 Gull. It was one of a party of perhaps twenty birds, which 

 disappeared shortly after his arrival in April. 



DlOMEDEA ALBATltUS. 



There are five eggs of Steller's Albatros in the Pryer 

 Collection, which are labelled as having come from the Bonin 

 Islands. They vary in size from 4 - 7 by 2'9 inches to 4*3 by 

 3*0 inches. They are creamy white, profusely speckled with 

 russet at the large end. 



Steller's Albatros was discovered by the illustrious tra- 

 veller whose name it bears on the coast of Kamtschatka, 

 and was described in 1780 (Pallas, Spicilegia Zoologica, 

 pt. v. p. 28). It is a common species in the Japanese seas, 

 and is generally found in company with a dark form, which 

 has been regarded by some ornithologists as the young. 

 Others have described it as specifically distinct; but it seems 

 probable that the two forms represent a dimorphic species, 

 like Fulmarus glaeialis, Stercorarius pomarinus, Stercorarius 

 richardsoni, Ardeajugularis, &c. The dark form was figured 

 on plate 963 of the ' Planches Enluminees ; of D'Aubenton 

 under the title of L' Albatros de la Chine. Upon this plate 

 the name of Diomedea chinensis was founded in 1820 (Tem- 

 minck, Man. d'Orn. i. preface, page ex) ; but its author 

 appears to have changed his mind in 1828, and renamed it 

 Diomedea brachyura (Temminck, Planches Coloriees, Genus 

 Diomedea, 75th livraison). It was afterwards rediscovered 

 and redescribed under the name of Diomedea derogata 

 (Swinhoe, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1873, p. 786). 



ffiSTRELATA HYPOLEUCA. 



Some years ago I received a few birds from Mr. Snow, 

 of Yokohama, which had been collected on Krusenstern 

 Island in the North Pacific Ocean. Amongst these was the 

 skin of a small Petrel, which I gave to the British Museum 



