DIOMEDEIDiE.— DIOMEDEA. 247 



Also those of Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands. Reported also from southern 

 parts of Bay of Bengal. (J. 977.) 



Also P. exmbi. Similar to P. im/matrix, but feathers of sides and middle of throat with 

 subterminal grey bar. Flanks mottled grey, each feather with grey shaft. Under wing-ooverts 

 grey, edged white, with dark shafts. From Orozette Islands to Kerguelen Land. 



P. gamoti. 9i". Similar to P. exsul, but larger, Below pure white. Axillaries dusky 

 grey. Callao to Valparaiso. 



Family DIOMEDEID^. Albatrosses. 



Nostrils lateral, separated by the wide eulmen, each in a separate horny sheath opening 

 forwards. First primary the longest. Margin of breast-bone uneven. Of large size, and 

 known in flight by the white of under-wing, with hindmost edge of white or brown. Most 

 clumsy on the water, and very timid in approaching anything that moves. Name probably a 

 composition of Arabic-Portuguese " Alcatraz," meaning any big sea-bird. Karely, if ever, seen 

 within the tropics. Common in Great Southern Ocean, and curiously enough, though some 

 frequent the Behring Strait, the bird is practically unknown in the North Atlantic. Stretch 

 of wing from 10 to 17 feet. An Albatross supports 20 lbs. weight on an area of 16 s.f. of wing 

 for hours together without any apparent effort, crossing and recrossing wake of ship steaming 

 sixteen miles an hour, and all this with wings perfectly still, except for an occasional flap. An 

 Albatross on the wing shows the most important characters by which a bird is externally dis- 

 tinguished from other animals. The surface of the body is clothed with feathers, which (in 

 the majority of birds), by the great size and special arrangement on the forelimbs, enable these 

 to act as organs of flight. The mouth is in the form of a horny beak. (N.H.M.) 



Genus DIOMEDEA. 



Sides of mandible without longitudinal groove. Tail short and rounded. Southern Ocean 

 and N. Pacific Ocean. 



(i. ) Interscapular region and mid-back white. 



D. exulans. 42". Legs flesh. Bill yellow. Head white. Upper back with narrow trans- 

 verse dark lines. Wing-coverts slaty black. Primaries black. Under-wing and axillaries 

 white. Tail white, irregularly marked on both webs near tips. Southern Ocean, Cape seas, 

 S. Atlantic, and S. Pacific to New Zealand. Young brown, face white. 



D. regia, 48". Similar to D. exulans, but without transverse dark lines on back. Wing- 

 coverts dark grey. Tail white, without marks. New Zealand. Young white. 



D. chinoptera. 48". Similar to Z>. regia, but wing-coverts nearly white. A large white 

 patch on inner web of under surface of primaries. Southern Indian Ocean. 



D. albairus. 37". Legs dark. Bill yellow. Head buff. Crown, nape, and back of neck 

 tinged buff. Scapulars, wings, and end of tail grey-black. A large white patch near distal 

 end of humerus. Shafts of primaries and of tail yellowish white. N. Pacific Ocean. Young 

 sooty brown. 



(ii. ) Interscapular region and mid-hack brown or black. 



B. irrorata. 35". Legs dark. Bill yellow, tip dusky. Head and neck white. Back, 

 wings, and tail sooty. Above freely mottled and barred white. Below sooty, freely mottled 

 and freckled white. West coast of Peru. 



D. nigripes. 28". Legs black. Bill red-brown. Above sooty brown. A large triangular 

 spot behind and below eye. Below sooty. Tail white at the base. N. Pacific Ocean. 



D. immutabilis. 32". Legs ^ink. Bill grey, tip black. Head, neck, rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, and under surface white. Back, wings, and end of tail sooty. Under wing-coverts 

 brown and white. Laysan Island and vicinity. 



B. melanophrys. 30". Legs yellow. Bill yellow, tip darker. Plumage white. Short 

 black band on either side of eye. Back and wings black. Tail slate-grey, shafts white. 

 Southern Ocean, straying to N. Atlantic. 



D. bulleri. 34". Legs red. Bill yeUow, sides slaty. Above sooty. Below white. Tail 

 dark grey-brown. New Zealand. 



Also the genus Thalassogeron. Sides of mandible without longitudinal groove. Tail rounded. 

 Six species, viz. — 



T. culminatus. 36". Legs yellow. Bill, eulmen yellow, sides black. Head and neck 

 whitish grey. A dark patch in front of and above the eye. Above sooty. Eump and under 

 surface white. Tail dark grey, shafts white. Southern Oceans, ranging to Pacific coasts of 

 C. America. 



