BIRDS — DIOMEDEINAE — DIOMEDEA EXULANS. 



821 



There are four species in this genus which are stated to frequent the Pacific coast of the 

 United States ; the following are their characteristics : 



Very large ; bill yellow ; upper plumage white, with transverse black lines ; under 



plumage white ; tail of medium size and rounded, dull plumbeous D. exulans. 



Large ; bill pale reddish yellow ; upper and under plumage white ; tail short, white, 



with the tip dark brown D. hrachyura. 



Large ; bill blacky culmen yellow ; upper plumage dark brown, rump and under parts 



white; tail of medium size, lead colored D. chlororhynclms. 



Large ; bill black, with a yellow suture on the sides of the under mandible ; entire 



plumage fuliginous ; tail long and cuneate, blackish brown D.fuliginosa, 



Diomedea, Linn.^ 



DIOMEDEA EXULANS, Linnaeus. 



The Wandering Albatross. 



Diomedea exulans, Linn Syst. Nat. J, 1766, 214.— Bon. Syn. 1828, No. 314.— Nutt. Man. II, 1834, 340. 

 Diomedea spadicea, Gmelin. Young. 

 Diomedea alhatrus, Pallas. 



FiGDRE. — PI. enl. cczxxvii. 



Sp. Ch. — Upper part of the head cinereous ; upper plumage white, with narrow transverse lines of black on the back and 

 wing coverts ; quill feathers black ; tail dull lead color and rounded in form ; below white ; bill yellow ; tarsi and feet flesh 

 color. 



Length, 44 inches ; wing, 24 ; tail, 9 ; bill, 7 ; tarsus, 4|. 



The young birds are dusky brown, more or less mixed with white according to age. 



Hab. — Pacific ocean. Specimens in the government collection from the south Pacific. 



This species appears to differ much in size ; the dimensions given by writers vary from 3 to 4 

 feet in length, and in alar extent from 10 to 17. The measurements given are from a specimen 

 in my collection. 



Bonaparte speaks of this species as being " rare and accidental on the coasts of the middle 

 States." According to Latham, they abound in the North Pacific, in summer, in the vicinity 

 of the Kurile Islands, being attracted to these regions by the abundance of food ; they are vora- 

 cious feeders and are lean on their arrival, but soon become very fat. 



There is not, to my knowledge, any well authenticated instance of this bird having been 

 procured off the coast of any part of our territory ; but being described by several writers as a 

 North American species I have included it. It is possible that this species has been confounded 

 with some others by the older authors, and that probably D. hrachyura, which greatly resembles 

 it in plumage, but is smaller, and abundant off the northwest coast, has been mistaken for it. 



List of specimens. 



' Bill broad. Tail short. 



