200 



Transactio'os. — Zoology. 

 No. A. 106. 



-PUFFINUS TRISTIS, Forst. 



Mutton-bird. 

 The yonng mutton-bird has been obtained from holes in the cliff at 

 Sumner ; this downy mass of oil presents the curious fact of being larger than 

 the parent bird. 



Ko. A. 119. — Prion australis, n. s. 

 Southern Prion. 



A short time since amongst some birds which arrived at the Canterbury 

 Museum from Foveaux Strait, transmitted by the Kev. T. Wohlers, were 

 specimens of a Prion which, from a careful inspection, could not be referred to 

 either P. turtur or P. vittatus. 



It is said to breed in holes, and descriptions are given below of the adult, 

 young, and egg. In couvsidering this specimen as new it is to be noted that 

 the bill is considerably longer than the head ; it is also much broader than 

 that of P. vittatus, according to Gould. The pectinated apparatus of the 

 upper mandible is fully disclosed. Of the primaries the first is quite as long, 

 if not longer than the second quill, whilst the total length exceeds that of 

 P. vittatus by some inches. It breeds on Papatea, or Green Island, near 

 Ruapuke, in Foveaux Strait. 



Adult. — Head dark bluish grey, mottled sparingly with black ; aurals 

 slatish, bounded above and below irregularly with white or yellowish white ; 

 upper surface bluish grey ; scapulars clouded with slaty black, tail-coverts 

 tipped with the same ; under surface white ; under tail-coverts white, just 

 tinged with delicate ash grey ; quill feathers, of which the two first are 

 longest and of about equal length, outer web black, inner web white, more or 

 less stained with ash grey ; tail bluish grey tipped with black ; chin naked, 

 the skin marked with narrow angular furrows arranged in regular order, angle 

 within angle ; bill longer than the head. 



Bill from gape to point 



Greatest width. ... 



Tarsus 



Middle toe with claw 



Wing from flexure 



Tail ... 



Total length 



The young taken out of the nest by Mr. Wohlers on the 25th November 

 are clothed entirely with a dense covering of dark smoky grey, lightest on the 

 neck and under surface, pectinations of the upper mandible undeveloped ; the 

 bill measures from gape to point 1 inch, greatest width only 4 lines. The 



In. 



Lines 



1 



9 







11 



1 



5 



1 



6 



8 







4 







14 



3 



