THALASSGECA ANTARCTICA. 



were observed in the summer, but in the autumn they sailed about in the air at a 

 great height. 



No authentic eggs of the species are known, nor has the nesting place been 

 discovered. Mr. Borchgrevinck believes that South Victoria Land and Geikie Land 

 were likely spots, while Dr. Wilson thinks that the newly-discovered Scott Island, or 

 the Balleny Islands, may be the breeding places of this Fulmar. According to the 

 naturalists of the " Scotia " it was also probably nesting on the South Orkney 

 Islands. 



Adult male. General colour above sooty-black, with a slight ashy shade, the 

 feathers of the back having obsolete ashy margins ; hind-neck and mantle somewhat 

 mottled with white or light-brown bases to the feathers ; wing-coverts like the back, 

 the median series tipped with ashy-white ; the greater coverts pure white ; primary- 

 coverts black ; quills black, white on the inner web for nearly its entire length, the 

 secondaries white at the base of both inner and outer webs, the black being gradually 

 reduced to a terminal mark on the inner secondaries, and disappearing towards the 

 long innermost secondaries, which are entirely pure white ; shafts of the first four 

 primaries white ; rump and upper tail-coverts like the back, but many of the latter 

 mottled with white bases to the feathers, some of the lateral ones being white with a 

 blackish tip ; head uniform sooty-black, as also the sides of the face ; lores more ashy : 

 eyelid white above and below ; under-surface of body pure white, with a patch of 

 sooty-brown feathers on each side of the fore-neck ; the throat fight sooty-brown, with 

 white bases to the feathers, producing a mottled appearance ; axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts pure white, with a broad black bar round the bend of the wings, 

 extending down to the lower primary-coverts ; quills white below, with a blackish tip, 

 the black increasing in extent towards the secondaries ; " bill blackish ; legs, feet, and 

 interdigital webs bluish-grey ; claws blackish ; iris dark brown " (E. A. Wilson). 

 Total length about 16 inches; culmen, 1.5; wing, 11.3; tail, 4.4; tarsus, 1.75; 

 middle toe and claw, 2.45. 



Dr. Pirie states that in specimens obtained by the " Scotia " the tarsus and outer toe 

 were greyish, the other toes and the webs paler and washed with yellow (Eagle Clarke, 

 Ibis, 1907, p. 335). 



Adult female. Similar to the male. Total length about 15 inches ; culmen, 1.5 : 

 wing, 12 ; tail, 4.5 ; tarsus, 1.7 ; middle toe and claw, 2.2. 



The only difference in plumage that I can discover in a series is that some 

 birds are much paler brown than others. This is explained by Dr. E. A. Wilson in his 

 notes on the species in the " National Antarctic Expedition " (Vol. II., Aves, p. 83). 



The wear and tear of plumage is a peculiar feature in Antarctic birds, and T. 

 antarctica proves no exception to this rule. Dr. Wilson points out that a freshly 

 moulted bird has its head, back, and wings of a deep chocolate brown, with pure white 

 on the wing- and tail-coverts ; but, when the nesting season is over and the summer 



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