SNOWY ALBATROS. 
are not ‘ faintly banded ’ ; while the only flush of pink on the bird was 
over the left eye, and even this was scarcely visible ... We found the 
male bird taking part in the incubation.” 
It is rather difiicult to unravel the plumage changes of this bird, but one 
thing seems certain and that is, that it does not take so long as D. e. rothschildi 
in becoming white-headed, white-bellied, and white-winged. I have quoted 
Moseley regarding the Marion Islands bird, but though he stated the tails were 
dark, the selected specimen brought home has the tail nearly white. It is 
critically compared with the type of D, chionoptera in the Monograph. The 
breeding birds at Kerguelen and Marion Islands seem to be generally “ white ” 
buds, while the breeding colony of D. e. rothschildi at the Antipodes Island 
are mainly “ dark ” birds. The birds referred to D. chionoptera in the British 
Museum are from Kerguelen Island, Marion Island and the Crozets, and they 
all show more or less traces of vermiculations on the neck and upper-back. 
The amount of white on the wings appears to inversely agree wi^Ji the 
amount of vermiculation ; from which I conclude that the white becomes 
more extensive with age, and that the whitest are the oldest birds. The 
attached drawing is made from the type of D. chionoptera, and shows how 
closely the bill approximates to that of D. e. rothschildi, the only noticeable 
difference being its larger size and stouter build. 
257 
