390 THE ALBATROSS. 



in lighter shades of the same colour, forming an 

 agreeable contrast with the delicate leaden hue 

 extending over the head and neck. 



Bill blackish ; upper surface horny, (shaded 

 with light black at some parts,) extending, of a 

 similar appearance, to the hooked process of the 

 upper mandible. At the lower part of the in- 

 ferior mandible, this horny appearance also ex- 

 tends to within an inch of the tip. Irides brown ; 

 the first pen-feather the longest ; feet and legs 

 marbled, the web marbled blue, more at the 

 anterior edges, and between the second and 

 third toes ; claws of the toes turned outwards, 

 (to the right.) 



There is a very minute tubercle at the pos- 

 terior, and lower part of the tarsus, which is 

 considered by some as a rudiment of thumb, 

 and I suppose to be that alluded to by Lesson, 

 when he says of this genus, " pouce sans 

 ongles." 



The foeces of this specimen were of a reddish 

 purple colour, as if occasioned by his swallowing 

 some Aplysias ; but the skeleton of a Loligo was 

 solely found in his stomach, the interior of 

 which, as well as the whole length of the intes- 

 tinal canal, was seen on dissection to be tinged 

 of a similar colour ; but no remains of Aplysiae 

 were to be found : could the colour, then, have 



