SNOWY ALBATROSS. 55 



black on the outer webs, and vermiculated on the inner ones with ash -brown, the 

 longer ones black with white on the basal portion ; olecranal feathers white, some 

 of the longer ones tipped with black ; lesser, median, and greater wing-coverts 

 black with white bases like the marginal coverts round the bend of the wing ; 

 primary-coverts and quills black, the latter with flattened straw-coloured shafts 

 and pale brown on the inner webs towards the base, this portion of the web being 

 white on the inner primaries ; tail white at the base, dark brown at the tip, the 

 white approaches much nearer the tip on the inner web than on the outer one ; 

 inner web of outer tail-feathers white with the exception of a little mottling at the 

 tip, middle feathers dark brown with white bases ; crown of head mottled with the 

 remains of brown feathers ; fore-head, sides of face, throat and under-surface white, 

 with the exception of the fore-neck and sides of body, which are crossed by wavy 

 bars of ash -brown ; under wing -co verts and axillaries white, like the under-surface 

 of the body ; some of the latter are dark brown on the outer webs, and vermiculated 

 with ash-brown on the inner ones; irides rich dark brown; bare eyelids purplish - 

 green; bill white, with a pinky tinge, yellowish -brown coloured at the tip ; legs and 

 feet flesh -white, sometimes with a pinky tinge. Total length 1,368 mm. ; culmen 

 (exp.) 165, wing 633, tail 204, tarsus 121. 



Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 



Immature male. Upper-parts brown, paler on the head, neck and mantle, 

 darker on the back, scapulars, rump, upper tail -co verts and tail ; the feathers of the 

 head and hind-neck are white tipped with brown, while those of the mantle, though 

 similar in colour, are everywhere intermixed with white feathers finely vermiculated 

 with brown ; the wing-feathers are similar to the adult male described, but the white 

 olecranal patch is absent ; tail very dark brown, white only at the extreme base ; 

 fore-head, sides of face, and throat white ; remainder of under-surface brown and 

 white, many of the feathers are brown with white bases, more particularly on the 

 sides of the body and lower -abdomen, while others are white vermiculated with 

 brown at the tips, more especially on the fore-neck and breast ; the under wing- 

 coverts are white, and the axillaries are similar to those of the adult. 



Nestling. Covered with light or slate-grey down lighter on the head. 



Nest. A cone-shaped structure composed of earth and grass cemented together. 

 Usually about 2 feet in diameter, and about 18 inches high. 



Egg. Clutch, one ; surface rough and glossless ; white, but mostly nest-stained ; 

 axis 122 mm., diameter 78. 



Breeding-season. January, February. (Auckland Island.) February. (Anti- 

 podes Island.) 



Incubation-period. Nine weeks. 



Distribution and forms. At present unknown exactly through confusion with 

 D. chionoptera. Apparently breeding on the Sub-antarctic Islands of New Zealand, 

 and in the South Atlantic probably in the Tristan d'Acunha Group and Gough 

 Island, but Indian Ocean breeding place unknown. The Atlantic typical D. e. 

 exulans Linne has the eyelids scarlet, while the West Australian D. e. westralis 

 Mathews has blue eyelids, and the East Australian and Neozelanic D. e. rothschildi 

 Mathews has purplish -green eyelids. The latter appears to be smaller than the 

 preceding. 



43. Diomedea chionoptera. SNOWY ALBATROSS. 



Diomedea chio^noptera Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., " 

 1896 ?: Kerguelen Island. 



Mathews, Vol. VII., pt. 5, pi. 369, July 10th, 1919. 



Diomedea exulans rohui Mathews, Austral Av. Rec. 

 Sydney, New South Wales. 



DISTRIBUTION. Australia (visitor). One specimen preserved in Mathews's collection. 



Diomedea chiowptera Salvin, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., Vol. XXV., p. 443, (pref. Dec. 16th, 1895) 

 1896 ?: Kerguelen Island. 



Mathews, Vol. VII., pt. 5, 



Diomedea exulans rohui Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. II., pt. 7, p. 125, Jan. 28th, 1915: 

 Sydney, New South Wales. 



