388 THE ALBATROSS. 



Length of the third joint 

 Length of the fourth joint, or pen-feathers 

 Length from the inner angle of the eye to the 

 base of the beak .... 

 Breadth of the foot when expanded 



The plumage was clean, delicate, and very 

 liandsome, particularly about the head. From 

 this bird I procured a small parasitical animal, 

 probably a Richins, which was found rather 

 numerous about its feathers, it is prettily marked 

 on each side, with a silvery appearance on the 

 back, when viewed tlirough a microscope. 



The upper surface of the wings, scapulars, 

 and back in this bird, was a brownish black ; 

 the urupigium, white ; the head, chin, and neck, 

 of a delicate grey, or blue grey. The back is 

 shaded off towards the neck, which becomes of 

 a soft and beautiful leaden colour, of more 

 light and delicate tints as it proceeds around 

 the front part of the neck, extending towards 

 the breast ; eyelids black : the upper surface of 

 the tail was of a light black ; shaded with white 

 in a very delicate and beautiful manner. At 

 first, this appearance was supposed only to be 

 the result of the different lights in which the 

 bird was occasionally placed; but subsequent 

 observations confirmed its being the marked co- 



