BIRDS-DIOMEDEINAE-DIOMEDEA EXULANS. 
821 
There are four species in this genus which are stated to frequent the Pacific coast of the 
United States ; the following are their characteristics : 
Very large ; hill yellow ; upper plumage white, with transverse black lines ; under 
plumage white ; tail of medium size and rounded, dull plumbeous. D. exulans. 
Large ; hill pale reddish yellow ; upper and under plumage white ; tail short, white, 
with the tip dark brown. D. brachyura. 
Large ; hill black, culmen yellow ; upper plumage dark brown, rump and under parts 
white ; tail of medium size, lead colored... D. chlororhynchus. 
Large ; hill black, with a yellow suture on the sides of the under mandible ; entire 
plumage fuliginous ; tail long and cuneate, blackish brown. D . fuliginosa, 
Diomedea, Linn. 1 
DIOMEDEA EXULANS, Linnaeus. 
The Wandering Albatross. 
IJiomedea exulans, Linn Syst. Nat. I, 1766, 214.— Bon. Syn. 1828, No. 314.— Nutt. Man. II, 1834, 340. 
Diomedea spadicea, Gmelin. Young. 
Diomedea albatrus, Pallas. 
Figure.—PI. enl. ccxxxvii. 
Sp. Ch.—U pper part of the head cinereous ; upper plumage white, with narrow transverse lines of black on the back and 
wing coverts ; quill feathers black ; tail dull lead color and rounded in form ; below white ; bill yellow ; tarsi and feet flesh 
color. 
Length, 44 inches ; wing, 24 ; tail, 9 ; bill, 7 ; tarsus, 4j. 
The young birds are dusky brown, more or less mixed with white according to age. 
Hah .—Pacific ocean. Specimens in the government collection from the south Pacific. 
This species appears to differ much in size ; the dimensions given by writers vary from 3 to 4 
feet in length, and in alar extent from 10 to II. The measurements given are from a specimen 
in my collection. 
Bonaparte speaks of this species as being “ rare and accidental on the coasts of the middle 
States.” According to Latham, they abound in the North Pacific, in summer, in the vicinity 
of the Kurile Islands, being attracted to these regions by the abundance of food ; they are vora¬ 
cious feeders and are lean on their arrival, hut soon become very fat. 
There is not, to my knowledge, any well authenticated instance of this bird having been 
procured off the coast of any part of our territory ; hut being described by several writers as a 
North American species I have included it. It is possible that this species has been confounded 
with some others ' y the older authors, and that probably I). brachyura , which greatly resembles 
it in plumage, > ut is smaller, and abundant off the northwest coast, has been mistaken for it. 
List of specimens. 
Locality. 
Whence and Low obtained. 
Original No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Wing. 
Pacific_ 
George N. Lawrence_ 
1010 
J. Boston... 
44. 00 
24. 00 
1 Bill broad. Tail short. 
