Gough, Kerguelen^ and South Georgia Islands. 



445 



The average size of the whole seventy-five eggs from Gough 

 Island is 3*785 x 2*45 and the average cubic capacity is 180<^°. The 

 following table shows the principal variations in size and shape. 



Measurements. 



Ratio of long to 

 short axis. 



4-32 X 2-54 



1 to 



•588 



4-15 X 2-60 



1 to 



•627 



3-92 X 2-66 



1 to 



•678 



3-39 X 2-30 



1 to 



•678 



4-04 X 2-34 



Ito 



•579 



4-06 X 2-37 



1 to 



•584 



3-83 X 2-47 







3-65 X 2-52 







4-26 X 2-44 



1 to 



•573 



3-67 X 2-64 



1 to 



•719 



3-69 X 2-37 







3-70 X 2-57 







3-78 X 2-45 







13-785 X 2-45) 



1 to 



•6473 



Eemarks. 



\ Two largest, capacity of each 220"'=. 



Broadest. 



Smallest, nearly elliptical ; capacity 135*^ 



Nearly elliptical. 



Nearly elliptical. 



Most elongate. 



Broadest for length. 



Streaked with lilac. 



Streaked with brown. 



About average. 



Average of 7 5 eggs, capacity 180*^ 



7. Phoebetria fuliginosa (Grm.) Sooty Albatross. "Peole." "Pearr." 

 Diomedea fuliginosa Gmel., S. N., I., ii, 1788, p. 568; Sharpe, Philos. Trans. Roy. 

 Soc, vol. 168, p. 148; Saunders, op. cit., p. 165; Salvin, P. Z. S., 1878, p. 740; 

 id., Voy. of Chal., Zool., vol. ii, p. 148. 

 Phoebetria fuliginosa Reichenbach, Syst. A.V., 1852, p. v. ; Kidder and Coues, Bull. 

 Nat. Mus., No. 2, p. 21; iid., op. cit.. No. 3, p. 12. 



One skin, a skeleton, and ten eggs from Gough Island and one 

 ^gg from South Georgia. 



Mr. Comer says, " It is the most difficult bird of all to get at. 

 They lay separately (not in rookeries), usually on cliffs or projecting 

 rocks. The nests are built small and low, of grass and mud. They 

 commence laying by the middle of September and lay one egg, but 

 when killed have a number of small eggs inside. While sitting on 

 their nests they keep up a continual cry similar to that of a young 

 goat. Beak is dark with a yellow streak on each side. White rim 

 on the eyelids around the eye." 



The shape of the eggs is ovate, generally rather elongated, but two 

 are much shorter and rounder, while two others much resemble the eggs 

 of D. exulans in general shape and markings, but are much smaller. 

 The surface and texture of the shell is much like the preceding- 

 species and here I may say, that, so far as I am able to judge from 

 our series, there is very little difference in the texture or surface of 

 the eggs of the four species, aside from the color, markings and 

 shape, either to the eye or touch except in direct proportion to the 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. IX. March, 1895. 



31 



