BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS. 199 



Ions;, slender, for half their length covered above with transverse series of 

 flat scales, in the rest of their extent scutellate; the second ten-twelfths of an 

 inch shorter than the middle, which is scarcely longer than the outer. Claws 

 rather small, slender, slightly arched, rather compressed, 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 rapidly diminishing; secondaries extremely short. Tail of twelve 

 rounded feathers, extremely short, rounded, the lateral feathers one inch 

 shorter than the middle. 



Bill dusky, the greater part of the lower mandible, and the middle of the 

 upper, tinged with yellowish-brown. Feet and claws black. The fore part 

 of the head, cheeks and throat light dusky-grey, the capistral feathers nearly 

 white, as is a small patch at the posterior angle of the eye; the upper part of 

 the head, the hind neck, and all the upper parts, including the wings and 

 tail, are of a sooty-brown tinged with grey, as are the lower surface of the 

 wings and the axillaries. The lower parts are of a dull grey tint, deeper on 

 the fore parts and sides of the neck. 



Length to end of tail 36 inches; bill along the ridge 5, along the edge of 

 lower mandible 5; wing from flexure 21; tail 3; bare part of tibia 1||; tar- 

 sus 3{§; inner toe 1{§, its claw T 6 ? j middle toe 4/jj its claw T 8 2; outer toe 

 4 T 7 2, its claw T S 2- 



The three Albatrosses described in this volume may very easily be distin- 

 guished by the form of the bill, independently of all other characters. Thus: 



Diomedea nigripes has the bill much thicker, or less compressed than the 

 other two species; its ridge very broad and convex at the base, its basal out- 

 line being semicircular and two inches in extent, so that its sides behind 

 overlap and obliterate the sutural space behind the nostrils. 



Diomedea chlororhyncos has the bill much compressed, its ridge convex 



in its whole length, but with its basal outline, although semicircular, only 



half an inch in extent, so that between its margins and those of the sides of 



the bill there is behind the eye a space nearly a quarter of an inch in 



' breadth. 



. Diomedea fusca has the bill as much compressed as that of D. chloro- 

 rhyncos; but its ridge, in place of being convex, is carinate, and instead of 

 having its base semicircular, as in the other two species, has it running up on 

 the forehead into a very acute angle. 



Many other differences might be pointed out, but these will suffice to dis- 

 tinguish the species. It may be remarked, that such descriptions are abso- 

 lutely necessary to render the species of this genus intelligible; for at pre- 

 sent it seems impossible to form any correct idea from the notices given in 

 books; and if descriptions are not sufficient to enable one to refer an object 

 to its species, of what use can they be? 



