6/4 Mr. M. J. Nicoll on the Birds collected and 



on January 17th, we saw numbers of Petrels and Albatrosses. 

 Amongst those identified were Majaqueus cequinoctialis, 

 (Estrelata mollis, (E. incerta, Puffinus assimitis, Diomedea 

 exulans, D. chlororhyncha, and Phoebe tria fuliginosa. I am as 

 certain of the identification of CE. incerta as I can be without 

 having obtained the birds. It is possible that it may breed 

 on one of the Tristan group. When we reached Tristan da 

 Cunha on January 17th, about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, 

 I saw a number of birds, the most interesting being many 

 individuals of our Great Shearwater (Puffinus gravis), which 

 were flying about in pairs. As we had not time to go 

 ashore the evening that we arrived, I had about an hour's 

 shooting from a boat, and obtained examples of three 

 species of sea-birds, one of which proves to be new to science. 

 During that night a violent gale sprang up, and for three 

 days we were lying off the island unable to land or even to 

 get a boat down. At last, as our coal was running short, we 

 were obliged to leave for the Cape. 



I obtained examples of the following species at Tristan da 

 Cunha : — 



Sterna vittata Gmel. 



Sterna vittata Saunders, Cat. B. B. M. xxv. p. 51 ; Eagle 

 Clarke, Ibis, 1905, p. 259. 



Two adult males, one adult female. 



Iris black ; bill, tarsi, and toes cherry-red. 



Numbers of these Terns were flying around the island, 

 and, as I saw several young birds just able to fly, I have no 

 doubt that this species nests there. 



Pelecanoides dacunh^e. 



? Pelecanoides urinatrix Eagle Clarke, Ibis, 1905, p. 264 

 (Gough Island). 



Pelecanoides dacunhce Nicoll, Bull. B. 0. C. xvi. p. 103. 



Two adult females. 



This new Diving Petrel appeared to be fairly numerous at 

 Tristan da Cunha, swimming, diving, and occasionally flying, 

 about three hundred yards from the shore. I have not seen 

 the example of Pelecanoides urinatrix obtained by the 



