446 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



times of year at sea off east coast Great Britain and north and 

 west coasts Ireland, and in winter off south and west coasts 

 England. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Nests from arctic America to Spitsbergen, 

 Franz Josef Land, and Novaya Zemlia, Iceland, Fseroes, in winter 

 south to 43° lat. and Massachusetts, casual in Baltic and New Jersey. 

 Replaced by allied subspecies in north Pacific. 



[Note. — The Cape Pigeon, Daption capense (L.) (Procellaria capensis 

 Linnaeus, S ret. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 132, 1858 — Cape of Good Hope) which 

 inhabits the South Atlantic and South Pacific oceans has been recorded as 

 having been taken three times in the British Isles, viz. near Dublin, Oct. 30, 

 1881 (A. G. More, Ibis, 1882, p. 346), Bournemouth (M. A. Mathew, Zool., 

 1894, p. 396), the Dovey, 1879 (J. H. Salter, op. cit., 1895, p. 254). The species 

 has also been recorded on several occasions from France. These birds have 

 been known to have been captured at sea and brought even as far as the 

 Channel and there liberated (cf. Ibis, 1867, p. 188) and for this reason the 

 occurrences have been considered by previous writers as not due to genuine 

 wanderings. As no recent examples have been recorded it seems best to 

 continue to exclude the bird from the list.] 



Genus DIOMEDEA L. 



Diomedea Linnseus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 132 (1758 — Type by subse- 

 quent designation, of Gray, 1840, D. exulans). 



At once distinguishable from all British Petrels by enormous 

 size, wings much longer than 40 cm., and nostrils, which are semi- 

 tubular and situated laterally on culmen, near base of a longitudinal 

 groove. Top of culmen rounded, bill longer than head. Wings 

 very long, 1st primary longest. Differing from all British Petrels 

 by absence of hind-toe. Tail rounded or wedge-shaped. A number 

 of species, mostly inhabitants of southern oceans, recently separated 

 into 4 or 5 genera, but usually not split up at all. 



DIOMEDEA MELANOPHRYS 



350. Diomedea melanophrys Temm.— THE BLACK-BROWED 

 ALBATROS. 



Diomedea melanophris (corr. melanophrys) Temminck (ex Boie MS.), 

 PL Col. 456 (1828— Cape of Good Hope). 

 Diomedea melanophrys Boie, Saunders, p. 753. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter and summer. — 

 Whole head and neck extending on to upper -mantle usually white 

 but sometimes pale grey or pale smoky-grey, feathers being tipped 

 grey * ; in front and behind eye broad streak and narrower over eye 

 of blackish-grey ; mantle grey ; scapulars and back dark grey 



* It is usually stated that young birds have grey heads. I have not 

 examined any birds which were undoubtedly young (i.e. with any trace of 

 nestling down). It is, however, certain that some adults have grey heads 

 and necks as I have examined several in full moult with new growing grey 

 feathers on head and neck, the old ones being white, their grey tips having 

 worn off. None moulting from grey to white have been seen. — H.F.W. 



