THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
the forms. Such assistance needs special recognition, as the Rothschild collection 
is peculiarly rich in Neozelanic specimens of this group, and their study was 
especially desirable. 
As the majority of the members of this group live in the Southern 
Hemisphere, and many occur as breeding birds on the islets round Australia, 
it is necessary that they should become an attractive object of study to the 
Australian ornithologists. I hope that the present resume will tend to continue 
the interest recently introduced, as evidenced by the researches of Messrs. Hull, 
Campbell, and White. 
In order to make this Part a work of reference, so that Antipodean 
ornithologists shall be at as little disadvantage as possible when contrasted with 
the Home-worker, surrounded by wealth of material and literature, I propose 
to give in review the varied attempts at monographing this group, and as a 
further aid I am including copies of the original descriptions of all the forms 
described in connection with the species and subspecies admitted, so that my 
conclusions can be fairly criticised by every student. 
The history of the Petrels of the Southern Hemisphere practically com- 
menced with the famous voyages of Captain Cook, and the first monograph 
of Petrels may be said to be the treatment of the group by Latham, in the 
third volume of the General Synopsis of Birds. On Cook’s first voyage 
Sir Joseph Banks accompanied him, and as assistants. Banks had selected 
Dr. Solander as botanist and zoologist, and two or three artists, one of 
whom (Sidney Parkinson) made drawings of birds, including many of 
Petrels. On Cook’s second voyage, John Reinhold Forster was the naturalist 
selected, whilst his son George Forster acted as artist, birds being specially 
collected and figured. On Cook’s last voyage, the artists were W. Ellis 
and — Webber. 
Whatever became of the birds collected cannot now be definitely ascertained, 
but apparently none of the specimens met with on the first voyage came into 
the possession of the British Museum ; some, if not all of those procured on 
the second voyage, did come to the British Museum, and possibly some of these 
also went to the Leverian Museum ; those brought home from the last voyage 
passed into the collection of Sir Joseph Banks. 
Apparently all the MSS., drawings, etc., made on the first voyage 
became the property of Sir Joseph Banks, who also secured the drawings made 
on the second voyage by George Forster, and those of W. Ellis drawn on the last 
voyage. The manuscript descriptions made on the second voyage by John 
Reinhold Forster were retained by the author, who, however, published in the 
Mhn. Math. Phys., Paris, 1785, an article on the species of Albatros which 
was overlooked until brought to light by the researches of Mr. C. Davies 
2 
