﻿864 
  Trajisactlois, 
  — 
  Zoology/, 
  

  

  PfiOCELLARiA 
  APFiNis, 
  BuUcr, 
  Traus. 
  N.Z. 
  Inst., 
  Vol. 
  VIL, 
  p. 
  215. 
  

  

  Sp. 
  NOV. 
  Supra 
  saturate 
  cinereus 
  ; 
  dorsi 
  plumis 
  et 
  supra-cauJalibus 
  

   nigro 
  terminatis 
  ; 
  alarum 
  minimis 
  et 
  ala 
  spuria 
  nigricanti-bruuneis 
  ; 
  pri- 
  

   mariis 
  cxtus 
  ingricauti-brurineis, 
  iutus 
  albis 
  ; 
  sccundariis 
  pallide 
  cinoreis, 
  

   albo 
  anguste 
  marginatis, 
  basaliter 
  albis 
  ; 
  rectricibus 
  saturate 
  cinereis, 
  

   duabus 
  cxternis 
  intus 
  albidis 
  ; 
  froute 
  alba 
  cinerascenti-ingro 
  varia 
  ; 
  regione 
  

   suboculari 
  conspicue 
  ciuerascenti-nigra 
  ; 
  facie 
  latcrali 
  guttnrcquo 
  albis 
  ; 
  

   poctorc 
  imo 
  ct 
  abdominc 
  cinereis 
  plumis 
  basaliter 
  albis 
  ; 
  corporc 
  reliquo 
  

   subtiis 
  alba, 
  pectoris 
  lateribas 
  cinereo 
  lavatis, 
  bypoclioudriis 
  et 
  subeaudalibus 
  

   inferioribus 
  cinereo 
  variis 
  ct 
  minute 
  transfasciatis 
  ; 
  subalaribus 
  albis, 
  cxte- 
  

   rioribus 
  conspicue 
  nigricantibus 
  : 
  rostro 
  nigro 
  : 
  pedibus 
  sordide 
  flavis, 
  

   digito 
  externo 
  et 
  membranis 
  interdigitalis 
  nigris. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Finscli 
  suggests 
  that 
  my 
  P. 
  affinis, 
  as 
  described 
  above, 
  may 
  turn 
  out 
  

   to 
  be 
  P. 
  mollis. 
  I 
  am 
  unable 
  at 
  present 
  to 
  adopt 
  tbis 
  view, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  

   following 
  reasons 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Pivcellaria 
  vwUis 
  (tlie 
  soft-plumagcd 
  petrel) 
  was 
  discovered 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Gould, 
  

   who 
  first 
  described 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  Annals 
  and 
  Magazine 
  of 
  Natural 
  History 
  (Vol. 
  

   VIII., 
  p. 
  3G3), 
  and 
  afterwards 
  figured 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  Birds 
  of 
  Australia, 
  Vol. 
  VII., 
  

   pi. 
  50. 
  In 
  his 
  Handbook, 
  at 
  page 
  454, 
  Vol. 
  II., 
  he 
  has 
  given 
  a 
  full 
  descrip- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  bird, 
  from 
  which 
  I 
  take 
  the 
  following 
  particulars, 
  by 
  way 
  

   of 
  comparison 
  : 
  — 
  Total 
  length 
  13^ 
  inches; 
  Aving 
  Of; 
  tail 
  5; 
  tarsus 
  1|-. 
  

   My 
  bird 
  has 
  an 
  extreme 
  length 
  of 
  13 
  inches, 
  the 
  wing 
  (from 
  the 
  flexure) 
  

   measures 
  10-5, 
  the 
  tail 
  4, 
  and 
  the 
  tarsus 
  1-2. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen, 
  therefore, 
  

   that 
  taking 
  the 
  two 
  birds 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  somewhat 
  equal 
  size, 
  (the 
  length 
  of 
  a 
  

   dried 
  specimen 
  being 
  always 
  an 
  uncertain 
  measurement), 
  Procellaria 
  mollis, 
  

   with 
  a 
  wing 
  nearly 
  an 
  inch 
  shorter 
  than 
  P. 
  affiuis, 
  has 
  a 
  decidedly 
  longer 
  

   tarsus 
  and 
  the 
  tail 
  a 
  full 
  inch 
  longer. 
  In 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  birds, 
  Avhere 
  the 
  

   species 
  are 
  so 
  closely 
  allied, 
  this 
  test 
  of 
  relative 
  proportion 
  in 
  the 
  functional 
  

   parts 
  is, 
  I 
  consider, 
  a 
  sound 
  means 
  of 
  discriminating 
  species. 
  The 
  plumage 
  

   of 
  P. 
  a 
  finis 
  has 
  a 
  close 
  general 
  resemblance 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  three 
  other 
  allied 
  

   species, 
  forming 
  together, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  before 
  pointed 
  out, 
  a 
  very 
  natural 
  

   group 
  or 
  sub-genus. 
  In 
  the 
  full 
  description 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  reproduced 
  above, 
  

   there 
  are 
  some 
  details 
  of 
  colouring 
  which 
  are, 
  I 
  think, 
  due 
  to 
  immaturity, 
  

   but 
  the 
  general 
  plumage 
  comes 
  nearer 
  to 
  P. 
  cooldi 
  than 
  to 
  P. 
  moUis, 
  

   although 
  in 
  other 
  respects, 
  as 
  pointed 
  out 
  in 
  my 
  original 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  

   new 
  bird, 
  the 
  two 
  forms 
  are 
  specifically 
  distinct 
  and 
  easily 
  discriminated.''' 
  

  

  * 
  Since 
  •RTiting 
  the 
  above, 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  H. 
  Eobson 
  a 
  Petrel 
  ans-weriiig 
  

   exactly 
  to 
  my 
  P. 
  rffinis, 
  with 
  the 
  slightest 
  possible 
  variation 
  in 
  Ihe 
  measm-ements. 
  This 
  

   vas 
  obtained 
  at 
  Cape 
  Campbell 
  ; 
  but 
  Mr. 
  Eobson 
  -writes 
  me 
  (under 
  date 
  June 
  3) 
  that 
  ho 
  

   has 
  secured 
  another, 
  which 
  struck 
  the 
  Moeraki 
  Lighthouse 
  in 
  thick 
  Aveather 
  and 
  was 
  

   killed. 
  

  

  