CLASSIFICATION. 



In his Introduction to the Tuhinares in the " Catalogue of Birds in the British 

 Museum," Salvia has passed in review the various attempts at classifying the 

 Petrels. He enumerates the characters propounded by Furbringer (1888), 

 Seebohm (1890), Bowdler Sharpe (1891), and Gadow (1892). Of Forbes's work he 

 writes as follows : — " The late William Alexander Forbes's Memoir, entitled 

 ' Report on the Anatomy of the Petrels {Tuhinares) collected during the voyage of 

 H.M.S. ' Challenger ' (see Report on the Scientific results of the Voyage of H.M.S. 

 ' Challenger,' Zoology, Vol. rV, Part XL, 1882), gives by far the most complete account 

 of the anatomy of this Order, discusses the relationship of a large number of species 

 representative of many genera, gives a good resume of the Literature of the subject, 

 and the author's views as to the relationship of the Order to other Orders of the Class 

 Aves." Salvin further observes : — " As the whole of the spirit-specimens possessed 

 by me at the time were placed at Forbes's disposal and were used in compiling his 

 Memoir, I have little to say on this branch of the subject beyond pointing out that 

 I have ventured to depart to some extent from Forbes's classification in the present 

 Catalogue. In doing so, I have to a great extent returned to the older plan of keeping 

 the Albatroses distinct from the rest of the Petrels, and in restoring Forbes's 

 Oceanitidce to the neighbourhood of the genus Procellaria. That such an arrangement 

 is more convenient can hardly be doubted, and I think it can be justified." 



In the " Catalogue of Birds " Salvin admitted four Families of the Tuhinares, 

 viz. : — 



I. Procellariidae. 

 II. Puffinidse. 

 ILL Pelecanoididae. 

 IV. Diomedeidse. 



I have, in the present work, followed the classification of Salvin's " Catalogue," 

 of 1896. Some of the " keys " to the genera and species have been modified and 

 enlarged, according to the increase in our knowledge during the past twelve years. 



xxxni 



