THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Waite says : “ This bird is known to breed on the Kerguelen and 
Antipodes Islands. I found it nesting on Disappointment Island, Auckland 
Group, where it makes burrows under shelter of the Ligusticu7n plants. I also 
found remains of adults killed by Skua gulls, for one of these marauders was 
engaged in pulling one to pieces when disturbed.” 
Little appears to be known regarding the habits of this bird. It might be 
here noted that throughout the Petrels I have carefully refrained from giving 
any account not absolutely relative to the subspecies in question. It has 
been suggested that those known regarding an allied species should be 
substituted, so that I would here point out that even different colonies of the 
same subspecies as at present recognised in New Zealand are credited with 
different habits ; consequently it would be quite unwise to credit a subspecies 
with the life-history of another form. 
There are some interesting points regarding the nomenclature of this 
species. Described by Solander and also figured and described by Forster, 
it seemed strange to me that Latham did not mention it, and careful search 
showed that he did. In the Gen. Syn. Birds, Vol. III., pt. n., p. 405, I found 
the following : “ In the British Musemn I observe one of these which is near 
20 inches in length, has a dark streak through the eye, the tail dusky, pointed 
at the end, legs of a pale colour, almost white.” This description I believe to 
have been drawn up from Forster’s specimen, as many of Forster’s birds appear 
to have come into the British Museum, though not now existent. 
The first pubhshed description with a name is that of Garnot {Ann. Sci. 
Nat., Vol. VII., p. 54, footnote, 1826, who called it Procellaria Lessonii, and 
diagnosed it thus : — 
Procellaria Lessonii ; capite griseo albido ; collo, pectore, abdomine caudaque infra 
albis ; dorso fusco cineraceo ; cauda supra grisea ; rostro, alis, ambitu coulorum sub nigris ; 
pedibus albido -carneis fimbriatis nigris. PI. 4. “Ce petrel se tient dans les parages du 
Cap Horn et de la met Pacifique, par 52° de lat. sept, et 85° de longit.” 
A detailed description was given in the text in French, and the same bird 
was described by Lesson {Manuel d’Orn., Vol. II., p. 402, 1828) as Puffinus 
sericeus, as follows : — 
Un peu plus gros que le damier [sic] ; les deux mandibules sont crochues ; bee noir, pieds 
eperonnes, couleur de chair ; bords exterieurs de la membrane noirs ; envergure, trente-six 
pouces ; manteau gris cendre-moire ; couverture des ailes gris noiratres ; tete, cou et dessous 
du corps blancs ; quelques taehes gris clair sur la tete ; les yuex, brun fence, sont entoures 
de plumes noiratres ; queue leg^rement cendree en-dessus ; le dessous des ailes est moins 
fence que le dessus. 
Longueur du bee, prise de I’extremite crochue a la commissure, deux pouces ; du tube, 
cinq lignes ; distance de la commissure a Tangle interne de Toeil, dix lignes ; — du front 
a Tocciput, deux pouces cinq lignes ; — de Textremite dubec au bout de la queue, quinze 
* Subant. Isl. New Zeal., Vol. I., p. 563, 1909. 
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