THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
The latter family (my ProGellariidcB) is sub-divided into two sub- 
families, the PuffinidcB and Fulmarince^ differentiated by the presence or 
absence of lamellss on the sides of the palate. 
These divisions are artificial, and, I hope to show, also unnatural. 
Study of juveniles will give valuable results when series, showing all stages, 
are brought together ; and the examination of a few young birds disclose the 
following most interesting and important facts : — 
Downy young of members of the family HydrohatidcB show that the tubular 
nostrils are already formed in a circular tube, with a narrow septum, lying on 
the top of the culmen. Examination of downy specimens of species of Puffinua 
show the nostrils to be developed independently as tubes on each side of the 
culmen-ridge, at once recalling Dionnedea. As the bird grows older the tubes 
grow larger until they coalesce, and through the flattening of the culmen-ridge 
they appear to lie on the culmen with a thick septum separating them. 
In the genus Fulmarus the downy young already have the tubes lying 
alongside each other on the top of the culmen, very similar to the half-grown 
Pufjinus. Species of the genus Pterodro^na in this respect agree with 
Fulmarus. 
It would at once appear then, that Pterodroma should be rather associated 
with Fuhnarus than with Puffinus. 
I cannot accept the presence of lamellae as being of any value higher than 
specific, if it should separate the bird commonly known as Priocella glacialoides 
(Smith) (whose correct name is Priocella antarctica (Stephens) ), into a different 
subfamily from Fulmarus. Why P. antarctica (Stephens) has been associated with 
Thalassoica antarctica (Gmelin) (by some authors even placed in the same genus) 
instead of with Fulmarus, is a puzzle, more especially as Thalassoica antarctica 
seems to be very closely allied to Daption capense (Linne), to which it bears 
somewhat the same relation as the Prions do to each other. I will go more 
closely into these matters in my next Part, when I deal with the Prions,, 
Daption, Thalassoica, etc. 
46 
