Vol. xv.] 44 



on their distinctive characters and distribution during the 

 breeding-season : — 



1. Somateria mollissima mollissima (L.). N. Europe. 



2. Somateria mollissima borealis, Brehra. North-eastern 



N. America and Greenland, also Iceland. 



(This subspecies is very closely allied to S. m. mollis- 

 sima, the only constant distinctive character being the 

 yellow, instead of olive-green, bill of the adult male. 

 The inner secondaries are said to be more falcate, but 

 this character cannot be seen in skins.) 



3. Somateria mollissima dresseri, Sharpe. Atlantic coast of 



N. America from Southern Labrador to Maine. 



(The male may be at once distinguished from males 

 of the two former by the broad and rounded, instead of 

 narrow and pointed, naked frontal angles on the sides 

 of the forehead. It is very possible that the breeding- 

 range of S. m. dresseri will be found to overlap that of 

 S. m. borealis, in which case S. m. dresseri will have to 

 be treated as a distinct species, and not as a subspecies 

 of S. mollissima.) 



4. Somateria mollissima v-nigra, Gray. N.W. America and 



N.E. Asia. 



(The male resembles the male of S. m. borealis in 

 having the bill yellowish and the frontal angles narrow 

 and pointed, but differs conspicuously in having a large 

 V-shaped black mark on the throat. Traces of this 

 mark are, however, sometimes to be seen in S. m. 

 dresseri.) 



5. Somateria spectabilis (L.). Arctic Regions. 



6. Arctonetta fischeri (Gray). Coast of Alaska, north to 



Point Barrow. 



7. Eniconetta stelleri (Pall.). Arctic and subarctic coasts 



of the Northern Hemisphere. 



Mr. Rothschild also exhibited, on behalf of Mr. W. 

 Eagle Clarke, an Albatros, which had been caught on 

 Gough Island. He remarked that it was either Diomedea 

 carteri (Rothsch.) (described as Thalassogeron carteri, Bull. 



