AUSTRALIAN RED-LEGGED GANNET. 
Ansethetiis major melinus subtus albidus, rostro serrate dentato. Brown, 
jam, 481. 
“Anseri bassano affinis Catesb., car. 1, p. 87, t, 87. 
“ Sloan jam 2, p. 322, t. 271, 1 2. Raj. av. 191. 
Habitat in India utraque, Europa. 
“ Alter sexus albus remigibus nigris, alterniger abdomine canescente. 
Osbeck. 
‘‘ Mandibula superior versus basin margine quasi dente utrinque mutilata. 
Nares clausae, Remiges in albo primores nigrae ; secundariae albae, sed 
apicibus extrorsum nigrae.” 
As far as the description is concerned it is incorrect, as the phrase 
“ remigibus omnibus nigris ” does not apply to the bird recognised above as 
“ piscator.^^ 
Ogilvie-Grant gives in his Key as the character of the species {lx., p. 424) : 
“ Outer webs of flight-feathers hoary-grey,” and on p. 433 emphasizes this 
by writing : “ This species may be recognized in all stages of plumage by 
the hoary-grey appearance on the outer webs of the quills.” 
Such a discrepancy might appear of little account and be ignored were it 
not that there is a Gannet showing the character “ remigibus omnibus nigris.” 
Linne’s description depends first upon the references “ Chin. Lagerstr. 8. 
Osbeck, iter 85.” As the former may give trouble to other investigators as 
it did to me, I might record that this is the title of a paper included in the 
Afnoen Acad., and that this was not published until 1759. The Armen Acad.. 
consists of theses presented at the University of Upsala, where Linne was 
professor, and hence his inclusion but without pagination, as he had the 
paper to read. The second reference, however, is available and consists 
of the same matter that is included in the Chin. Lagers. 
Peter Osbeck, one of Linne’s pupils, travelled to China, and in his 
Daghoek Ostindisk Resa which appeared in 1757, on p. 85 he described 
Diomedea piscatoria Masc. and Femina, procured on July 13th, 1751, a day’s 
sail this side of Java. 
Forster published an English translation in 1771, and from Vol. I., 
p. 127, I give the account of this bird : “ It was the male of the Pelecanus 
piscator Linn. Its bill is pointed, elevated, narrow, blueish on the outside, 
has a serrated margin, and is two palms long ; the throat and all about its 
eyes are without feathers, and covered, as the bill, with a blueish skin ; the 
upper jaw is elevated, and has on both sides a furrow running towards the 
point, which is bent, and has a prominence ; near the head the bill has an 
elevated part ; the lower jaw is narrow and streight ; the tongue which is 
fastened to it is arrow-shaped ; the cere is light blue ; the nostrils are 
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