474 PEOCELLABIID^ MAJAQUBUS 



Description. Adtilt. — Above pale grey, paler on the head and 

 back of the neck ; quills greyish-black outwardly ; a dark spot 

 in front of the eye ; forehead, cheeks and entire under surface 

 white ; flanks washed with pale grey ; under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries pure white ; tail pale grey. 



Iris brown ; bill yellow, the tip, middle of the culmen, nasal 

 covers and base of maxilla black ; legs pale flesh colour, the outer 

 toe darker. 



Length about 180 ; wing 12-6; tail with fourteen feathers, 5'1 ; 

 culmen 2-1 ; tarsus 1-8 ; middle toe 2-4. Sexes alike. 



Distribution. —This Petrel is another of those, the headquarters 

 of which are in the Great Southern Ocean. In the Pacific, however, 

 it wanders up the coast of America as far north as Washington 

 Territory, and in the Atlantic as far as St. Helena, while to the 

 southward it reaches the Antarctic pack ice. Kerguelen Island 

 is said to be a breeding place, but no properly authenticated eggs 

 appear to have been hitherto obtained. 



Sir Andrew Smith, who first discriminated this Petrel, stated 

 that it frequented the African coast, and frequently entered the 

 bays for the purpose of obtaining food. This observation has hardly 

 been confirmed by later authorities, as Layard never obtained a 

 specimen, nor is there one in the South African Museum. It has 

 been recently identified at sea by Mr. Parkin in 39° S. lat., 8° E. long., 

 in December, while Professor Vanhoffen met with it in November 

 between Cape Town and the Bouvet Islands during the voyage 

 of the S.S " Valdivia " of the German Deep-Sea Expedition. 



Genus IV. MAJAQUEOS. 



Type. 

 Majaqueus, Beidicnh. Naturl. Syst. Vocj. p. iv, 



(1852) M. aequinoctialis. 



Bill stout and strong, the hook occupying at least half its length, 

 chiefly yellow in colour ; lower mandible with a groove dividing 

 it plainly into an upper and lower piece ; nasal tube broad and 

 short, about a quarter of the length of the culmen, opening appear- 

 ing almost single as the broad septum is well within it, openings 

 directed forwards and inwards ; wings moderate, first and second 

 primaries subequal ; tail of twelve feathers somewhat graduated ; 

 tarsus considerably shorter than the middle and outer toes, more 



