KtTNQL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 40. N:0 5. 73 



Diomedea exulans Linné 1758. 



The Wandering Albatros was found breeding in Bay of Islets by the Swedish 

 Expedition 1902 as is described by K. A. Andersson (8). Its youngs were still in 

 clown in the middle of May without showing a single feather, and they remained 

 lying in the nest, in spite of their great size. The nests were according to the author 

 quoted (S) about Va m. high and had at the top surface a diameter of about 1 m. 



SöRLiNG never saw Diomedea exulans enter Cumberland Bay, but only flying 

 över the open sea. They were especially numerous on the outer bank among the 

 schools of whales, and were swimming there like swans, as the sailors said. 



This species was not represented in the collections of the German Expedition 

 of 1!<S2 — 83 (i) nor were any observations about its appearance recorded by von 

 den Steinen {12). 



The Scottish Expedition (21) did not observe but two straggling albatrosses 

 off the South Orkney Islands, and the species to which they belonged was not 

 ascertained. 



Pelecanoides urinatrix (Gmelin) 1788. 



Syn.: Procettaria urinatrix Gmelin 1788. 



Pelecanoides » Lacépéde 1801. 



Halodroma » Illiger 1811. 



J, 2 Boiler Harboni-, Cumberland Bay, the 4th of Dec. 1904. »Iris tlark brown». 



J, <j> (skeletons) the same locality, the 28 of No v. 1904. 



2 pull. (in alcohol) the same locality, the 20th of Febr. 1905. 



1 egg the same locality, the 4th of Dec. 1905. 



The specimens recorded above are typical P. urinatrix with fore-neck and under 

 wing-coverts pure whité. The male is on the back more shiny black with a blnish 

 lustre. Its wing is someAvhat longer viz. 119 mm., while that of the female is 

 116 mm. 



The almost spheroidal egg measures 37 mm. in length by 31 in width. It is 

 plain white but soiled. The eggs are alwa3 r s single, and appear to be laid by dif- 

 ferent birds at a somewhat different time as the two downy youngs taken the same 

 date (the 20th) in Febr. differed considerably in size, the larger being several times 

 bulkier than the smaller one. In the larger the quills begin to develop. In both 

 the fluffy downs leave a hare space on the sides of the head, the throat and the 

 sides of the upper neck. But when at rest the youngs clraw back their heacl so 

 that these bare spaces are not exposed, and only the bill is visible protruding ont of 

 the ball of down. The colour of the down is uniformly ashy grey. 



Pelecanoides urinatrix makes burrows like Prion, but according to Sörling's 

 observations, it chooses different localities. Unlike Prion, it does not select »tussock- 

 hills» but prefers places where the ground consjsts of gravel and sand from moraines. 



K. Sv. Vet. Akad. Handl. Band 40. N:o 5. 10 



