--„**. 



139 



As far back as the 13th February, 1885, I had exhibited, at one of the meetings of the 

 Society, a series of specimens of the so-called Wandering Albatros, and expressed my belief that 

 there were two species confounded under the common name of Diomedea exulans, one of them 

 being highly variable in plumage, and the other distinguishable by its larger size and by the 

 constancy of its white head and neck (see ' Trans. N.Z. Inst.,' vol. xvii., p. 450). But, although 

 that was the conviction on my mind, I did not feel justified in setting up the new species, 

 and giving it a distinctive name, till I could produce incontestable evidence of its existence. 



I afterwards had an opportunity of examining sixteen beautiful examples, of both sexes 

 and of all ages, and I then had no hesitation in giving this new species the rank to which it was 

 entitled. It is undoubtedly the noblest member of this group, both as to size and beauty, and I 

 therefore named it Diomedea regia. Of the sixteen examples mentioned above, two (an adult 

 female and a full-grown fledgling) came from Campbell Island, one was brought alive from 

 the Auckland Islands, and the remaining thirteen (most of which were female birds) were taken 

 by fishermen off the New Zealand coast, in the vicinity of Port Chalmers. 



In the ' Birds of New Zealand ' (vol. ii., p. 195), I treated this bird as the mature condition 

 of Diomedea exulans ; but that I still had my doubts on the subject will appear from the following 

 paragraph on page 192 : " We cannot suppose that the Albatros is first pure-white, then dark- 

 brown, and, after passing through several intermediate states, pure- white again in extreme old age. 

 Nor would it be altogether safe, from the materials at present before us, to construct a new 

 species. I am inclined rather to account for the differences I have mentioned on the supposition 

 of the existence of dimorphic phases of plumage, as in some other oceanic birds." 



In the plate facing p. 188, I gave the two forms, the swimming figure representing the fully 

 adult condition of Diomedea exulans, and the standing one being the bird since described as new, 

 which is thus referred to in the text (page 192) : " Shortly before leaving the Colony, I saw, 

 at Waikanae, a fresh specimen, which had been cast ashore on the coast during a severe gale. It 

 was of small size and evidently a young bird. The whole of the plumage was pure-white without 

 any markings, excepting only the wings, which were black on their upper surface, largely dappled 

 with white, especially towards the humeral flexure ; legs and feet flesh-grey. The skin of this 

 bird afterwards came into the possession of Mr. S. W. Silver, of Letcomb Manor, and, with his 

 permission, I have introduced its likeness into my plate of this species, as the back figure standing 

 on a rock." 



The two species having been confounded, it may be as well to explain, before proceeding- 

 further, that the description given on page 192 of the ' Birds of New Zealand ' of a " perfectly 

 mature example," received at the Canterbury Museum, in 1874, relates to Diomedea regia, as do 

 also the notes contained in the last three paragraphs of descriptive matter on page 193. The 

 description of the young on page 190, and of the ten successive states of plumage in the progress 

 of the bird towards maturity (I.e., pp. 190-192), relate, of course, to the old-established species, 

 Diomedea exulans. 



As to the specific distinctness of the two birds there can no longer be any reasonable doubt. 



I submitted, at a meeting of the Wellington Philosophical Society, a series of both species. 

 On one side we had three specimens of the common Wandering Albatros (D. exulans) : No. 1 in 

 the grey plumage of immaturity, with a well-defined white face; No. 2 in a transitional or 

 progressive state of plumage ; and No. 3 representing the fully adult state, with the white plumage 

 prettily speckled and vermiculated on the back and sides. On the other hand, we had three 

 specimens of my new species, No. 1 being a full-grown fledgling, with remnants of white down 

 still adhering to the plumage ; and Nos. 2 and 3 representing the adult male and female. The 

 latter, I may state, were both taken by fishermen off the Otago coast, whilst the young bird was 

 brought from Campbell Island, where it was captured on the nest. 



