NEW ZEALAND GIANT PETREL. 
should not have been included. The reason why the dark southern birds 
are smaller is that they are the young of the first year ; they are all 
more or less in moult, and some show remains of the juvenile down. I 
conclude, as Wilson did, that in time this will become a fixed white subspecies, 
as the oldest birds are now the whitest and the youngest the darkest, but the very 
pale birds probably yet breed ; in the moult it is noticeable that the new feathers 
are mainly coming dark. Lonnberg, regarding the birds from South Georgia 
{Schwed. /Sildp. Exp., Vogel, p. 3, 1905), also remarks that the dark coloured 
bird is smaller. For this large Antarctic form met with by Wilson in the 
Ross Sea, I propose the name 
Macronecles giganteus wilsoni, subsp. n., 
as a record of the keen observations made by Mr. Wilson into the variation of 
this species. 
One of the most perplexing features of our knowledge of Petrels is our 
absolute lack of any accurate news of the breeding-places of the birds met 
with on the Western coast of South America. Many voyagers have met with 
this species in Valparaiso Bay, and the specimens procured show this to be the 
smallest and darkest subspecies. It has a remarkably small bill, and wing, feet 
and toes agree in their small dimensions. The largest and lightest and certainly 
fully adult, is very much smaller than any other adult bird, while a most perfect 
specimen of a full-plumaged bird of the year is almost deep black, and has a 
bright yellow bill with the feet dark. For this subspecies I propose the name — 
Macronectes giganteus forsteri, subsp. n. 
This bird is figured in the Monograph of the Petrels, though a Cape Adare bird is 
described, and as the soft parts of the Cape Adare bird are given in the text, 
a footnote draws attention that : “In the Plate the legs and feet are represented 
as blackish,” thus implying that the plate-coloration was erroneous. This is 
not so, as in the figured subspecies the feet are dark. In conclusion I would 
therefore agree with Wilson, that the southern bird is certainly tending to 
become a fixed white form ; and also, from the fact that the young are smaller 
and darker, would agree that it is the newest state. 
Potts’s {loc. cit.) description of the albino specimen shot off Centre Island, 
Foveaux Strait, is as follows: “Plumage white, mottled very sparingly 
throughout with single brownish grey feathers ; bill pale greenish ; sutures flesh 
colour, yellow at the tip ; legs and feet slate grey. Entire length 34 inches. 
Spread of wing across the body 77*5 inches ; wing, from flexure, 20 inches 
6 lines ; tarsus, 3 inches 6 lines ; middle toe and claw 5 inches 4 lines ; outer toe 
5 inches ; spread of web 7 inches ; bill 3 inches ; lower mandible 3 inches ; 
beak I inch ; gape to centre of eye I inch ; height of beak 1 inch.” 
189 
