YELLOW-NOSED ALBATROSS. 197 



straight until near the end, when it is a little decurved, the sides ascending, 

 nearly erect, a little convex, the edges sharp, the tip extremely compressed, 

 its upper edges decurved. 



Head rather large, ovate, compressed anteriorly; neck of moderate length; 

 body full. Feet rather short, stoutish; tibia bare for three-quarters of an 

 inch, covered all round with small angular scales; tarsus roundish, reticulated 

 with small angular and roundish scales; toes three, long, slender, the outer 

 very little shorter than the middle, which exceeds the inner by three- 

 quarters of an inch; they are covered above with small angular scales for 

 half their length, in the rest of their extent with scutella, and connected by 

 emarginate webs, the outer and inner with an external lobed membrane. 

 Claws rather small, slender, slightly arched, rather depressed, convex above, 

 somewhat obtuse. 



Plumage full, soft and blended. Wings very long and very narrow, the 

 humerus and cubitus being extremely elongated; the first primary longest, 

 the rest very rapidly diminishing; the secondaries extremely short. Tail of 

 twelve broadly rounded feathers, short, rounded, the lateral feathers one inch 

 shorter than the middle. 



Bill black, with the ridge in its entire length and breadth, the tip of the 

 upper mandible, and the crura of the lower along their inferior edge, yellow. 

 Feet yellow, claws yellowish-grey. The head and neck are ash-grey, the 

 fore part of the back shaded into blackish-grey; the wings entirely brown- 

 ish-black, the shafts of the primaries white, toward the end brownish-black; 

 the hind part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, white; the tail deep 

 grey, the bases and shafts of the feathers white. The loral space is of a 

 darker grey than the rest of the head, and that colour deepens at the fore 

 part of the eye, forming a spot which includes the whole of the upper eye- 

 lid, and the anterior half of the lower, of which the other half is white; the 

 lower half of the neck anteriorly, the breast, sides, abdomen, lower tail- 

 coverts, some of the axillaries, and the larger lower wing-coverts white; the 

 rest being brownish-black. 



Length to end of tail 37 inches; bill along the ridge 5 T %, along the edge 

 of lower mandible 4|f, its height at the base 1-^, at the middle 1, at the 

 angle 1 T 2 T ; wing from flexure 21; tail 8i; bare part of tibia f; tarsus 3-^', 

 inner toe 3 T 7 2, its claw -?%; middle toe 4 T 5 2> its claw -r\; outer toe 4 T 5 ¥ , its 

 claw -£?. 



