THE BIEDS OP AUSTRALIA. 
Apparently nothing whatever is known concerning the habits of this bird. 
The species was described by Gould from Bass Strait, but whether it breeds 
on the islands in that strait is not yet known, though the probability is that 
it does so. The original description reads : — 
Thalassidroma nereis Gould, P.Z.S., 1840, p. 178. 
Thai, gutture pectoreque fuliginoso-cinereis ; dorso, uropygio tectricibusque caudae 
cinereis ; abdomine, lateribus et crisso albis. 
Head, neck and chest sooty gray ; lower part of the wing-coverts, back, rump and upper 
tail-coverts gray, each feather very slightly margined with white ; wings grayish-black ; tail 
gray, broadly tipped with black ; under-surface pure white ; irides, bill and feet black. 
Total length, 6J inches ; bill, ^ ; wing, ; tail, ; tarsi, 1|-. 
Hab. Bass’s Straits, on the south coast of Australia. 
It is of great interest to know that this bird was met with and carefully 
differentiated by Solander as follows : — 
saltatrix Procellaria nigra, abdomine crissoque albis, dorso uropygioque cinereis, pedibus totis 
atris. 
Habitat in Oceano australi. Lat. austr. XLII 34 
Longit occ CLXXXV (Febr. 14 1770) 
Caput, Collum, antica pars Pectoris, Humeri nigra 
Dorsum cinereum, penis posticis apice fuscis 
Crissus cinereo-canescens 
Abdomen, uropygium & Femora nivea 
Obs. Pena' posteriores uropygii & femorum apice floccis cinereis subfasciata 
Ala' longa' supra' nigra', subtus e nigro-cinerea' 
Tectrices superiores cinerea' 
,, inferiores alba' 
Cauda truncata, pedibus paulo brevier 
Rectrices nigra', a medio ad basin cinerascentes 
Rostrum atrum, capite brevius 
Mandibula superior sulco laterali profundo, apice valde adunca 
Tubus narium rostro dimidio brevior, subcylindraceus, apice a rostro elevatus integer 
Apertura orbiculata, coarctata 
Dissepimentum abbreviatum orificium non adtingens 
Mandibula inferior recta longitudinaliter secundum medium cutacea 
Oculi nigra 
Ped,es toti atri 
Digitus posticus minutissimus, subsetaceus 
Longitude ab apice rostri ad finem caudae 6) 
inter apices alarum expans. 13] 
Pondus I uncia paulo levior 
The type-locality is off Kaikoura, in the South Island of New Zealand, 
and if later the New Zealand breeding form should prove separable this name 
will be available. 
16 
