88 NATURAL HISTORY OF KERGUELEIT ISLAND. 



Since M. de Blainville relied almost entirely upon the cbaracters of 

 the sternal apparatus* in tlie classification of birds, it is not strange 

 that he should have found in their resemblance to those of Rcvnmtopus 

 conclusive evidence of natural affinity. The errors of omission and 

 of observation in the above summary (which, it must be acknowledged, 

 are not to be found in the description of those parts seen by De Blain- 

 ville himself) will be discussed hereafter in their proper connection. 



In his continuation of Bonnaterre's " Tableau encyclop6dique et m^- 

 thodiqued'Ornithologie" (pp. 1037,1038), M. L.P. Yieillot speaks of the 

 blade button on the wing, and describes the sheath of the bill as some- 

 times yellow, sometimes blade. It would thus appear that Ghionis minor 

 was known and had been examined long before Hartlaub differentiated 

 the species; this black color of the epidermal outgrowths being one of 

 the principal si)ecific features of his diagnosis. Bonnaterre's first men- 

 tion of the genus (as genus 83 of his list, p. cxiij) gives no points to 

 indicate whether he was describing C. alba or C. minor. 



In 1867 Mr.B. L. Layard, writing to the Ibist from Cape Town, uiuler 

 date of June 17, mentions several specimens of C. minor brought alive 

 to the Cape from the Crozet Islands by Captain Arm son. "A single 

 egg obtained by him was unfortunately attacked by mice on board; 

 but enough remains to show its contour and color. The instant I saw 

 it I was reminded of the eggs of Ewmatopus.^^ He describes the egg 

 at some length, and of the living bird says : "He is most Hcem.atopus- 

 like in his motions, moving with great swiftness, and feeding on meat, 

 which he holds down between his feet and tears into shreds. He is 

 very fearless, and attacked the cats which came near him. The legs 

 are livid brown [!], bill black, with a pink cere around the eye, the iris 

 of which is deep black or dark brown in color." 



On the 28th of November, 1867,| Dr. P. L. Sclater exhibited to the 

 Zoological Society a skin of Ghionis minor, "being that of an individual 

 of this species which had been transmitted living to the society by E. 

 L. Layard, and brought from the Crozet Islands by Captain Armson." 

 This was doubtless the same individual referred to by Mr. Layard in 

 the passage just quoted. 



* A ces 616iiQens les plus importans d'une Evaluation un peu positive' des rapports 

 natarels de cet oiseau (puisque fat montr4, depuis long-temps, que Vappareil sternal, avec 

 ses annexes, les renferme dans cet classe d^animaux) j'ai pu joindre qnelques details 

 d'organizatioa intdrieure, etc." {Op. cit., p. 99.) 



t Ibis, 1867, p. 458. 



t Proc. Zool. Soc. 1867. 



