PYGOPODES 



507 



an example in the South African Museum, obtained by Layard 

 during his voyage in H.M.S. "Castor," and the Earl of Crawford 

 and Balcarres secured an example in 37° S. lat., 29'' E. long, off 

 the southern Coast of the Colony. 



Habits. — The Sooty Albatros can be easily distinguished by its 

 wedge-shaped tail, and when it is at fairly close quarters, by the 

 conspicuous white ring round the eye. It appears to be less timid 

 and more curious in disposition than others of the family and will 

 hover about the rigging of a ship directly above the deck. Professor 

 Chun relates that these Ijirds often came so near the bridge of the 

 " Valdivia " that it was almost possible to catch them with the 

 hand. Like other Albatroses, their food consists of cuttle fishes and 

 the surface-living Crustacea, as well as of scraps thrown out of the 

 ship. Professor Chun says they also devour smaller birds. 



Eaton {Phil. Trans., vol. 168, p. 148) and Hall {Ibis, 1900, 

 p. 18) both give some account of its breeding habits in Kerguelen. 

 The nests are placed in sheltered situations, generally at the foot of 

 the terraces and cliffs of volcanic rock so plentiful about the island ; 

 they are built up in the form of low truncated cones, slightly 

 hollowed at the top ; they seem to be used each successive year, 

 but are freshly lined witli grass and plant stalks. 



As is usually the case, only one egg is laid. There are three 

 examples of it in the South African Museum, obtained by Captain 

 Armson on the Crozet Islands many years ago. They are very 

 like those of Thalassogeron ehlororhynchtts in colour, texture and 

 size, measuring 4-15 x 2-55. 



Order XIX. PYGOPODES. 



This is a small Order containing two well-marked families, the 

 Grebes {Podicipedidcs), and the Loons or Divers {Colymbida) ; only 

 the first-named is represented in our fauna. 



In this Order the skull is schizognathous and holorhinal, the 

 nostrils are pervious, and there are no basipterygoid processes ; 

 the contour feathers have an aftershaft, the oil gland is tufted, the 

 caeca are well-developed, and the fifth cubital remex is absent ; the 

 accessory semitendinosus is always absent, and the cnemial process 

 of the tibia is markedly produced forwards. 



