123 



powdered earth or the leaves above mentioned. The diameter of the burrows at their entrance is 

 about that of a man's wrist. Upon our first arrival two birds, male and female, were usually 

 found in each burrow during the day. After they began to fly, however, but a single one was to 

 be found with the egg, usually, but not always, the female. When set free in the day-time, the 

 mode of flight was irregular, as if the light were confusing to the birds. They always alighted in 

 the water after flying a mile or so. The noise of their calling was incessant during the night, 

 coming quite as often from the burrows as from the air, but it became much less frequent after 

 the middle of November, from which I infer that the call is connected with the season of pairing. 

 The egg is white, single, and measures 1*9-2 in. by 1 "45-1*55 in. The first egg was found on 

 October 23rd, although doubtless they begin to lay earlier. A young bird covered with slate- 

 coloured down was found on November 12th, and frequently thereafter. The traveller who 

 should visit Kerguelen Island only during the day, returning to his ship every night, might 

 easily fail to observe the presence of these birds at all, since, in the neighbourhood of their 

 burrows, they are exclusively nocturnal in their habits, being perhaps the very latest to appear 

 after nightfall. They are, however, often seen at sea during the day, many hundreds of miles 

 from land." 



My only specimen of this graceful Petrel was obtained at Cape Campbell ; and there is 

 another in the Auckland Museum, taken on the coast of the North Island. I know of no others, 

 and this will indicate how rare this species is with us. 



Okdeh PROCELLARIIFORMES.] 



[Family PUFFINID^. 





PRION VITTATUS. 



(BROAD-BILLED DOVE PETREL.) 



Prion vittatus (Grmelin), Buller, Birds of New Zealand, vol. ii., p. 212. 



I have nothing fresh to add to my account of this well marked species, specimens of which are 

 now to be seen in all the great museums. 



'Mr. Salvin says (' Cat. B.,' xxv., p. 433) : 



This species has the evident bill of all the Prions, and the lamellae of the maxilla show plainly when the 

 bill is closed. 



PRION VITTATUS. 



PRION DESOLATUS. 



