34 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



the Cape Seas ; P. m. gouldi (Hutton) from New Zealand (which may occur in East 

 Australian seas) with longer wings and a greyer face ; and P. m. albani Mathe\\x 

 from West Australia, smaller than preceding but with similar grey faces. 



24. Pterodroma melanopus. BROWN- HEAD ED PETREL. 



Mathews, Vol. II., pt. 2, pi. 84, July 31st, 1912. 



Procellaria melanopus Gmelin, Syst. Nat., Vol. I., pt. n., p. 562, April 20th, 1789 : North 



America = Norfolk Island. 



Procellaria solandri Gould, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Vol. XIII., p. 363, May 1st, 1844 : Bass 



Straits. 



Procellaria phillipii Gray, Ibis, July 1862, p. 246 : Norfolk Island. 



(Estrelata montana Hull, Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 1910, Vol. XXXV., p. 785, March 1st, 



1911: Lord Howe Island. 



DISTRIBUTION. Australia (visitor). Breeding on Lord Howe Island, formerly on Norfolk 

 Island. One occurrence in Bass Straits. Specimen preserved in British Museum. 



Adult (type of P. solandri Gould). Back, scapulars, and upper tail-coverts 

 slate-grey with dark edgings to the feathers ; lesser wing -coverts, bastard -wing, 

 and primary-coverts dark brown ; primary -quills also dark brown on the outer 

 webs and at the tips, paler on the inner webs, and becoming white at the base ; 

 median and greater coverts slate-grey, the secondaries similar but pale brown on 

 the inner webs and whitish at the base ; tail dark brown with hoary -grey on some 

 of the outer webs of the feathers, pale on the inner webs and also at the base ; head 

 and neck all round sooty-brown, the feathers having white bases give a scalloped 

 appearance on the fore-head and sides of face ; breast pale sooty -brown, becoming 

 dull slate-grey on the abdomen, under tail-coverts, and sides of the body ; the feathers 

 on the sides of the body slightly edged with white at the tips like the axillaries ; 

 under wing-coverts dark brown, the greater under wing-coverts dull white like the 

 base of the primaries ; bill black ; eyes dark brown ; feet black, web greyish-black. 

 Total length 450 mm. ; culmen, from base of feathers on forehead, 40, wing 296, 

 tail 128, tarsus 41. 



Adult male and female. Alike. 



Immature. We have examined many birds which still retained the grey down 

 on the abdomen. These show the characteristic mottling of the face, and agree 

 entirely in coloration with the adult, save that the shades appear lighter or darker 

 than they do in the adult, owing to the wearing ; thus the secondary wing-coverts 

 are lighter, while the median coverts show darker, the lesser again appearing lighter, 

 etc. The dark tips to the feathers of the under-surface are somewhat paler. 



Nestling. Covered with dark ashy-grey down, concolour. 



Nest. A large accumulation of grass in burrows, some as much as six feet in 

 length, in which the egg is almost concealed. 



Egg. Clutch, one; dull white; 63 mm. by 44. 



" They lay but one egg, and that is full as large as a duck's egg." (Hunter, 

 Norfolk Island.) 



Breeding-season. June, July and August. 



" Most of the females taken in May were with egg." (Hunter, Norfolk Island.) 



Distribution and forms. Breeding at Lord Howe Island only ; only other record 

 as above and consequently no subspecies. 



25. Pterodroma inexpectata. MOTTLED PETREL. 



[Procellaria inexpectata Forster, Descr. Anim., ed. Licht., p 204, (pref. Jan. 1st) 1844 : Seas 

 south of New Zealand. Extra-limital.] 



Mathews, Vol. VII., pt. 5, pi. 368, July 10th, 1919. 



