PEOCELLABIID.E DIOMEDEA 499 



male is generally to be seen seated on the ground close to _the_ 

 brooding female. 



According to Sperling the eggs are laid in January, while 

 Moseley found many fresh eggs on Marion Island of the Prince 

 Edward group on December 26 ; the young ones are not ready to 

 fly till the following November, and are eaten with considerable 

 relish by the inhabitants of Tristan. When scared off the nests 

 the birds seldom fly but waddle off to some distance. Photographs 

 of the birds on their nests are given in the "Challenger" Eeports 

 (" Narrative of the Cruise i.," pt. 1, p. 294, pi. 14), and by Mr. 

 Hall (Ibis, 1900, p. 13). 



The South African Museum possesses an egg from Tristan and 

 others from the Crozet Isles, as well as several the history of 

 which is lost. The Crozet egg, which is probably referable to 

 D. chionoptcra, measures 5-3 x 2-25, the Tristan egg 5-0 x 2-0. 

 They are almost perfect ovals, white, somewhat rough and pitted, 

 and have a few small spots of dull rufous at the larger end. 



The name Albatros is said to be a corruption of the Spanish 

 word Alcatraz by which the Pelican is generally known in the 

 Iberian Peninsula, and which is often vaguely applied to other large 

 sea birds. 



804. Diomedea melanophrys. Mollymawk. 



Diomedea melanophrys, Temm., PL Col pi. 456 (1828) ; Gould, B. 



Austr. vii, pi. 43 (1844) ; Grill, K. Vet. Akad, Handl, ii, no. 10, 



p. 57 (1858) ; Layard, Ibis, 1862, p. 97 ; Hutton, Ibis, 1865, p. 283 ; 



Sperling, Ibis, 1868, p. 295 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 364 (1867) ; 



Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 356 (1872) ; Sliarpe, ed. 



Layard' 8 B. S. Afr. p. 772 (1884) ; Swinburne, P. P. Phys. Soc. 



Edin. ix, p. 199 (1886) ; Salvin, Cat. B. M. xxv, p. 447 (1896) ; 



Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 169 (1896) ; Ecichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 21 



(1900) ; Chun, Ans den Tief. Wcltm. p. 221, fig. of bird in flight 



(1900) ; Vanlwffen, Journ. OrnitJi. 1901, p. 308; Shortridge, Ibis, 



1904, p. 204. 

 "Black-browed Albatros" of some authors, "Molly," ' Mollyhawk," 



or " Mollymawk," of sailors. 



Description. Adult Male. Head and neck all round, rump 

 and upper tail coverts and under parts throughout, including the 

 axillaries and outer under wing coverts, white ; a pale slaty streak 

 through the eye ; centre of the back and wings slaty- black, darkest 

 on the wings, tail slaty like the back with the shafts of the feathers 



