DIOMEDEA ALBATRUS. 



is black, with the base of the forehead white, the sides of the face brown, the 

 eyelid and a small patch below the eye white. The bill is pale and almost identical 

 in colour with that of the adult bird. 



The third stage of the young bird has apparently more grey on the upper- 

 surface, the feathers of which have white bases producing a mottled appearance ; 

 this is especially the case on the lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts. The white 

 olecranal patch is very distinct, and has dusky centres to the feathers. The head 

 is blackish-brown with a broad white forehead and eyebrow. The lores, the sides of 

 face, and cheeks pure white, the ear-coverts being shaded with light brown ; entire 

 under-surface of body pure white, ashy-grey on the sides of the vent, the under 

 tail-coverts white with ashy-grey ends ; on the sides of the fore-neck a patch of brown 

 feathers extending from the sides of the neck, the feathers on the sides of the breast 

 mottled with brown tips ; under wing-coverts white round the bend of the wing, 

 the lesser series being streaked longitudinally with dark brown, the greater series of 

 coverts and the axillaries pure white with brown tips ; quills below blackish, white 

 towards the base of the inner web, becoming greyer towards the tips. 



Adult. General colour above white, including the lower back, rump and upper 

 tail-coverts ; the scapulars black, shaded with grey, with more or less white at 

 the base ; wings brown with an ashy shade ; the marginal coverts with white 

 centres ; the inner median coverts for the most part white with dusky brown 

 centres to a few adjoining the olecranal patch, which is pure white ; the greater 

 coverts ashy brown, the inner ones white at the base with the outer web for 

 the most part ashy-brown, the innermost pure white, like the olecranal patch ; 

 quills blackish, brown on the inner webs, which are white towards their base ; the 

 secondaries blackish brown, white on the inner web ; tail black ; crown of head, hind- 

 neck, and sides of face ochraceous buff, this colour extending across the lower throat ; 

 chin and upper throat and remainder of surface of body white, including the under 

 wing-coverts and axillaries ; " bill reddish violet, the nail whitish ; feet greyish-blue, 

 with dusky on the joints and webs " (Stejneger). Total length, 31 inches ; culmen, 

 5.5 ; wing, 21.3 ; tail, 6.4 ; tarsus, 4.7 ; middle toe and claw, 5.8. 



The adult bird described and figured is from Hakodate, collected by Captain 

 BlaMston, and now in the British Museum. The young bird is the type of Swinhoe's 

 D. derogata, and the figures in the Plate were taken from this example. 



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