MONOGRAPH OF THE PETRELS. 



which has a tallowy appearance, and hence I presume the name of ' Mutton-bird.' 

 To this I may add that the young birds are very good when fresh, and the old birds 

 after being skinned and preserved in lime, are excellent eating." 



In addition to the account given by Gould an interesting paper on the habits of the 

 " Mutton-bird " has been written by Bishop Montgomery (Ibis, 1898, pp. 209-216), 

 and in the volumes of the " Emu " there are also several notes on the subject, 

 notably those by Messrs. Campbell and Mattingiey (Emu, VI. , p. 190, 1907), and 

 Captain Walter (Emu, II., p. 219, 1903). 



Adult male. General colour above sooty-black, with obsolete margins of lighter 

 brown to the feathers of the upper-surface ; wing-coverts like the back, with the same 

 obsolete paler edges, which are slightly greyer at the ends of the greater coverts and 

 secondary quills ; bastard- wings and primary-coverts and quills black ; the inner primaries 

 slightly shaded with ashy-grey, the secondaries rather browner than the primaries ; 

 tail-feathers black ; head like the back, sooty-black ; sides of face also sooty-black, 

 greyer on the lores, cheeks, and throat ; under-surface of body sooty-brown, with 

 obsolete ashy edgings to the feathers ; under tail-coverts uniform sooty-brown ; 

 under wing-coverts dull ashy-grey, mottled with sooty-brown round the entire edge 

 of the wing ; axillaries sooty-brown ; quills blackish below, with an ashy shade along 

 the inner webs for nearly the entire length ; " bill black, the edges of the upper 

 mandible from the middle of the bill to the base, greyish ; the two ridges at base of 

 lower mandible brownish-black ; tarsi and feet light grey, black behind, dusky on 

 outer sides " (P. A. Hoist). Total length, 14.0 inches ; culmen, 1.2 ; wing, 10.1 ; tail, 

 3.35 ; tarsus, 1.95 ; middle toe and claw, 2.4. 



Adult female. Similar to the male in colour. Total length, 12.5 inches ; culmen, 

 1.2 ; wing, 10.4 ; tail, 3.0 ; tarsus, 2.0 ; middle toe and claw, 2.3. 



The principal variation in the colour of this species consists in the browner or 

 greyer under-surface, and in the amount of grey on the sides of the face and throat. 



Buller says that the young bird has the bill darker, being of a more uniform 

 brownish-black, very slightly paler along the under-edge of the lower mandible. The 

 same observer states that, in an adult male, the bill was blackish-brown, the under 

 mandible paler ; legs and feet vinous-grey, the webs yellowish flesh-colour, blackish- 

 brown toward the edges. 



The male described is one obtained on Peel Island, Bonin, by P. A. Hoist, in the 

 Seebohm Collection, and the female is from our collection, from Nagasaki (Captain 

 St. John). The specimen figured is a bird from South Australia also in our collection. 



152 



