No. 1.] THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD 27 



This was taken up by Gray in 1840, but as far as I 

 can trace, the only ground for such acceptance is Lesson's 

 usage, and Prion as a valid generic name must date 

 from 1828. Consequently it is antedated by Pachyptila 

 Illiger 1811, and Illiger's name must be used. 



Of this species Reischek collected a good series, which 

 showed no features of interest. 



PSEUDOPRION TURTUR. 



Under the name "P. turtur " was a most interesting 

 specimen labelled " ^, Taranga I., North New Zealand, 

 April, 1883." With it was another bird labelled $ and 

 similar data, and it would have been interesting to know 

 if these came from the same colony. 



The first mentioned is typically a Heteroprion, and 

 only subspecifically different from Mathews's H. belcheri 

 (Birds Austr., Vol. II., p. 224, 1912). My measurements 

 read : Cuhnen (exp.) 26.5 mm. long, 9 mm. wide at 

 base ; wing 184 mm ; metatarsus 31 mm. ; middle toe 

 without claw 31 mm. 



In coloration it agreed with members of the H. desolatus 

 group in its dark head, small amount of black to tip of 

 tail, darker rump, and no blue wash on under-surface ; 

 while the one marked $ was a typical Pseudojmon 

 turtur in bill-characters and in coloration, having the 

 head no darker than the uniformly pale back and rump, 

 a large amount of black tipping to the tail, and a notice- 

 able blue wash on sides of body. The bill of the Hetero- 

 qytion was adult in colour, and much longer and also 

 narrower than that of immature specimens of H. desolatus 

 which were at hand for comparison. 



Reischek also collected specimens of Pseudoprio7i 

 turtur on the Bounty Islands, and these were immediately 

 recognisable on account of their extraordinary bills, 

 and absolutely typical of the form Mathews has named 

 Pseudoprion turtur crassirostris (Birds Austr., Vol. II., 

 p. 221, 1912). 



