WHITE-FRONTED PETREL. 
blane pur, marque de grandes et de petites taches ou grivelures noires ; dos, manteau et 
scapulaires d’un brun noir, mais chaque plume terminee par un croissant blanc, plus ou moins 
large suivant I’age ou la mue ; generalement, toutes les parties inferieures d’un blanc pur. 
Longueur totale, de quinze a seize pouces ; longueur du bee, deux pouces et demi. Dans 
les mers du Japon et dans la bale de Nangasaki. 
In the Monograph of the Petrels the history of the supposed occurrence 
of this species in Australian waters is given, but doubt cast upon it. The 
identical bird which constitutes the only (and doubtful) record for Australian 
waters is figured on Plate xxi. of that work. Inasmuch as the record of the 
occurrence of this bird in Australian waters is of so doubtful a nature, I have 
not therefore re-figured the specimen. 
When dealing with the forms of this species, Godman wrote {Monograph of 
the Petrels^ p. 74) : “ In aU Petrels, however, according to my experience, there 
is considerable variation in size.” 
This conclusion was arrived at through the erroneous methods adopted 
in studying these birds, and also to some extent through ignorance of the age 
of the individuals handled. Thus, if a long series from a breeding-station be 
carefully examined and measured, it will be found that nine out of ten apparently 
adult birds will give exactly the same general measurements, proving that a 
minimum amount of variation is existent, but the tenth will probably be found 
to be less. This tenth is a younger bird which has not fully developed, and 
through there being no difference in plumage between young and old this fact 
has hitherto escaped attention. As a matter of fact, the majority of birds have 
been sea-killed ones, in which case such could not be anticipated. It should be 
remembered that these birds [Puffinus and Pterodro^na for instance) are on land 
from October to May, and it does not seem feasible to suppose that the young 
one only flying in May is going to breed in the succeeding October, but it is 
quite possible that such a bird would in some cases come to land with the adults. 
In the case of sea-kiUed specimens, the time of year to some degree indicates 
the possibility of a smaller bird being a juvenile, but the variation is so small 
that at present it is dangerous to make any statement in connection with 
such birds. 
The bird described is a male, collected in Japanese waters, on May 19, 1883. 
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VOL. n. 
49 
