186 On the Birds of the South Orkney Istands. 



later in the season ; and there were none within reach of 

 Scotia Bay, though some birds rested every night on the 

 rocky islets in the bay in December, where no signs of their 

 nesting were apparent. 



There are a number of skins in the collection in both 

 adult and immature plumage and a considerable number of 

 eggs. 



Adult males shot in September have the crest well deve- 

 loped, the feathers being from 1*5 to 1*75 inches long. A 

 male shot in December has a much shorter crest, and others 

 of the same sex obtained in February are devoid of these 

 ornamental plumes. The September specimens are much 

 more brilliant in plumage than the rest of the adults, and 

 also have the nasal caruncles more developed. The white 

 dorsal patch varies much in size, even in adult males 

 obtained at the same season ; and in one captured in 

 December it is represented by a narrow band of white 

 blotched with black across the middle of the back. The 

 culmen of adult males varies from 2*2 to 25 inches and the 

 wing from 11*8 to 12*1 inches. Weight 6o lbs. 



The bird in first plumage has not, I think, been described. 

 One obtained in December has the upper surface hair-brown, 

 tinged with green on the back, where the feathers have 

 narrow margins of a lighter brown ; the head and hind-neck 

 shew a few darker feathers ; outer scapulars and tail whitish, 

 the shafts of the latter dull light green ; primaries and 

 secondaries dusky with a faint greenish tinge ; wing-coverts 

 edged with dull white, with a narrow buff-white alar band 

 below the marginals ; under wing-coverts brown ; under 

 surface white ; thighs brown. These young birds shew 

 no signs of a white dorsal patch. Slightly older birds 

 obtained in February have their upper plumage a mixture 

 of brown and metallic feathers, and one specimen shews 

 slight indications of a white dorsal patch ; the central 

 tail-feathers are blackish with white shafts, and the rest of 

 the plumage is as in the younger bird. 



