THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
recognition of the whole of the Gmelinian names. According to my investiga- 
tions, the brilliancy of the Couesian exposition will become more manifest as these 
Petrels are more carefully studied. In 1863 Schlegel had written upon the 
Pr ocellar iidce, but there is little of interest save the description of new species, 
the synonymy collated being now quite unacceptable. 
In his Handlist, 1871, Gray added some more Solander MSS. names 
to the synonymy. It would appear therefore that this was known at that date, 
yet in 1875, when Salvin examined the Parkinson drawings, it was supposed to 
have been mislaid. From 1875 to 1896 the only worker on this group was 
Salvin, who monographed the Order in the Catalogue of the Birds in the British 
Museum, and prepared the basis upon which the Monograph of the Petrels by 
Dr. Godman, I906-I9I0, was founded. This short review indicates the few 
workers upon this Order, and gives the state of the classification at the 
present time. As the Solander MSS. were not known to Salvin and 
Godman, no advance was possible with regard to the names in use ex 
that manuscript. 
To deal now with the Solander MS. treating of Petrels: By permission 
of the trustees of the British Museum, I am enabled to give copies of 
the original descriptions prepared by Solander, and which supplement the 
Parkinson drawings. These beautiful detailed diagnoses clear up all the 
obscure points which inevitably surrounded attempts to determine the unfin- 
ished drawings. Some of the latter were easily recognisable from the data 
given therewith, and the manuscript simply serves to confirm the correctness 
of the current acceptance. In others, and some of them important cases, the 
manuscript clearly shows what has hitherto been impenetrable mystery. 
A resume of the manuscript is interesting in connection with the drawings, 
which number sixteen, all credited to Sidney Parkinson. The first date on 
which a bird described from the Southern Ocean was procured is December 
22nd, 1768, and the dates suggest that advantage was taken of calms to 
make collections of birds, and this is confirmed by reference to Cook’s Journal, 
where we find notes such as the following : — 
Feb. 1st, 1769 : “ The weather was such as to admit Mr. Banks to row round 
the Ship in a Lighterman’s Skifi shooting birds.” 
Oct. 2nd, 1769 : “ A. M. had a Boat in the Water, and Mr. Banks shott an 
Albetross which measured 10 feet 8 inches from the tip of wing to other.” 
These dates agree with those given by Solander, and the bird mentioned 
in the second note is carefully described by him. 
The succeeding list is extracted from the dates given with the descriptions, 
and shows the extent of the collection made, which is of extraordinary interest 
to Australian ornithologists, inasmuch as it contains the first records of 
6 
