Order TUBINARES.] 
[Fam. PROCELLARlIDiE. 
DIOMEDEA CHLOROEHYNCHA. 
(YELLOW-NOSED ALBATROS.) 
Yellow-nosed Albatros, Lath. Gen. Syn. iii. pt. 1, p. 309, pi. 94 (1785). 
Diomedea cJilororhynchos, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 695 (1788, ex Lath.). 
Biomedea chlororhy7icha. Cones, Pr. Phil. Acad. 1866, p. 185. 
Ad. similis D. melanophryi, sed rostro nigro, culmine cum ungue et maculd parva ad basin mandibul* posita Isete 
flavis : pcdibus cyanescenti-albis. 
Adult. Plumage similar to that of D. melanophrys, but having only a light shade of grey in front of the eyes, 
and a black tail with white shafts. Bill black, with the culmen, hook, unguis, and edge of lower mandible 
bright yellow ; a narrow basal spot on the lower mandible orange j legs and feet bluish white. Total length 
32‘ 5 inches; wing, from flexure, 19'5; tail 8; bill, following the curvature of upper mandible .5'4, from 
gape to extremity of lower mandible 5 ; tarsus 3 ; middle toe and claw 4-25. 
Obs. The yellow does not melt into the black as in transitional states of Diomedea melanophrys, but the two 
colours are well defined, and the former terminates in an acute point about half an inch from the base of 
the upper mandible. In very mature birds the yellow deepens to orange on the hook, where it spreads, and 
then fades away to pale yellow at the tip. 
In the Otago Museum there is a fine specimen which has the bill perfectly black, with a broad, well- 
defined stripe of yellow down the culmen, which widens considerably and deepens to orange on the hook ; 
the extreme edges of tlie lower mandible are likewise yellow. There is just a pale shade of grey in front of 
the eyes, which becomes darker above them ; shoulders, upper surface of wings, and tail sooty black, the 
shafts of the latter white ; the rest of the plumage pure white. 
There is a specimen of this Albatros in the Auckland Museum; and Dr. Crosbie, of H.M.S. 
‘ Virago,’ showed me the head of another. Both of these, as I was informed, were obtained otf the 
New-Zealand coast, although the proper range of this species appears to lie in more northern latitudes. 
There are likewise specimens, more recently obtained, in the Canterbury and Otago Museums. 
Dr. Bree says that this species “ has occurred still more rarely than B. exulans in European 
seas. Two instances are, however, mentioned by Esmark (Degland, Orn. Eur. p. 359) as having been 
killed near Kongsberg, in Norway, in the month of April 1837,” in consequence of which Bonaparte 
and Degland gave it a place among the birds of Europe. It ranges, according to Latham, from 30° 
to 60° in the southern hemisphere, all round the pole. 
Prof. Hutton has expressed his opinion that the three allied forms, B. chlororJiyncha, B. culini- 
Qiata, and B. nxelanoylirys, are in reality one species ; but in this view I do not concur, because the 
adult birds are easily discriminated, the well-marked black and yellow bill of the two former distin- 
guishing them from the Mollyhawk, -whilst as between each other the differently coloured head in 
the adult bird is a very conspicuous feature. 
In the Otago Museum there is a specimen of Biomedea clilororhy^icha (marked s , St. Paul’s 
Island) which comes very near in general appearance to B. cauta, but it wants the face-adornment 
along the base of the mandible wLich distinguishes the latter species. 
