90 WANDERING ALBATROSS. 



PALMIPEDES. 



Famihj PROCELLARIID^. {Bonaparte.) 



Genus Diomedea. (Linnceus.) 



Generic Characters. — Beak strong and cutting, longer than the head, 

 compressed, straight, and curved abruptly at the point; upper mandible 

 deeply seamed on each side, and strongly hooked at the tip; lower 

 mandible smooth, its end distinct, compressed, and truncated at tip. 

 Nostrils in the furrow, distant from the base, separate, covered on the 

 sides, open in front, tubes very short, partly conical, wider before than 

 behind, lying on the sides of the bill. Feet short and robust ; tarsus 

 one fourth shorter than the middle toe; webs full and entire; no hind 

 toe. Wings very long ; tail round or wedge-shaped, and composed of 

 fourteen feathers. Sexes alike in plumage, but the young differ much from 

 the adult. They moult twice a year, without changing their colours. — 



NUTTALL. 



WANDEKING ALBATROSS. 



Diomedea exulans. 



Diomedea exulans, Linn^us. 



Albatrus, Brisson. 

 Mouton du Cap, or 



Vaisseau de guerre, Of the French. 



Specific Characters. — Whitish; back and wings lineated with black; quills 

 black, their shafts yellow; tail lead-colour, (young dusky;) head, wings, and 

 tail blackish; a white space round the eye. Length three to four feet; 

 expanse of wings ten to seventeen feet. — Nuttall. 



Latham describes four species of Albatross, two of which are re- 

 corded as visiting accidentally the seas of Europe, namely, the 



