THE ALBATROSS. 389 



lour. On examining- one of the tail-feathers 

 plucked from the bird, it was found delicately 

 tinted ; the shaft diminishing gradually as it 

 proceeded from the quill to the extremity, until 

 it terminated in a very fine filament, projecting 

 one-eighth of an inch from the plume ; this was 

 observed in the whole of the upper and large 

 tail-feathers. The plume as it came off on each 

 side from the base, terminated in a beautiful 

 downy appearance ; tail-feathers underneath of 

 a lighter colour — vent (crissum) white, which 

 gives a light delicate appearance to the edge of 

 the feather. 



The breast and abdomen are of a snow-white ; 

 under surface of the wings, upper line along 

 the wing-bones, and a little below, brownish - 

 black ; middle white, (excepting a few brown 

 feathers near the axilla,) forming a continuous 

 broad white line the whole length of the under 

 surface of the wings ; lower feathers base white, 

 tips .black, under surface of the pen-feathers 

 black ; shafts white. 



At the inferior part of the external angle of 

 the eye, around the margin of the lid, a narrovv 

 white mark extends for the length of seven- 

 eiffhths of an inch. A diffused black-mark was 



o 



situated over, and extended to the inner angle 

 of the eye, terminating near the base of the bill 



