822 
U. S. P. R R. EXP. AND SURVEYS—ZOOLOGY—GENERAL REPORT. 
Phoebastria, Reich. 1 
DIOMEDE A BRACHYURA, Temminck. 
The Short-tailed Albatross. 
Diomedea brachyura, Temm. PI. col. v, about 1828.— Cassin, Ill. I, 1855, 289 pi. 1. Adult. 
Diomedea nigripes, Aud. Orn. Biog. V, 1839, 327.— 1b. Birds Am. VII, 1842, 198.— Cass. Ills. I, 1854, 210 ; pi. 
xxxv. (Young.) 
? Diomedea chiriensis, Temm. 
? Diomedea epomophora, Lesson. 
Sp. Ch.— Mult. Head and neck white, tinged with pale yellow ; primaries, tips of secondaries and tertiaries, upper edge of 
the wing and greater wing coverts brownish black ; tail white, tipped with dark brown ; back and entire under plumage pure 
white ; bill pale reddish yellow ; legs flesh color. 
Length, 33 inches ; alar extent, 84 ; wing, 20 ; tail, 5% ; bill, 5 ; tarsus, 3|. 
The young are ashy brown, lighter on the abdomen; for some distance around the base of the bill, and a space below the eye, 
grayish white ; bill dusky ; tarsi and feet black. 
Hub .—North Pacific ; coasts of California and Oregon. 
There are four specimens of the young in the collection. 
In Mr. Cassin’s Illustrations of the Birds of California, &c., (referred to above,) is given a 
quite full history of the habits and changes of plumage of this species, taken from Peale’s volume 
on the Birds of the Exploring Expedition of the Vincennes and Peacock. 
It seems to be an abundant species in the North Pacific, but most of the specimens obtained are 
young and in the plumage in which it is described by Mr. Audubon as D. nigripes. In adult 
plumage it resembles D. exulcins, but is smaller and distinguished from it by its shorter tail. 
Audubon gives 36 inches as the length, but the measurements given above are those of a 
young specimen in my cabinet taken when in a fresh state. They no doubt vary much in 
size as in some of the other species. 
List of specimens. 
Catal. 
No. 
Sex. 
Locality. 
When col¬ 
lected. 
Whence obtained. 
Orig. 
No. 
Collected by— 
Length. 
Stretch 
of wings. 
Wings. 
9901 
Coast of California. 
Lieut. Williamson . 
Dr. Heermann_ 
9902 
Shoal water bay 
Dr. Cooper_ 
9903 
Pacific coast __ 
April 5,1856 
Dr. Suckley_ 
303 
__ _do_ 
Geo. N. Lawrence . 
1011 
J. Boston_ 
33. 00 
84. 00 
20. 00 
Thalassarche, Reich . 2 
DIOMEDEA CHLORORHYNCHUS, Gmelin. 
The Yellow-nosed Albatross. 
Diomedea chlororhynchos, Gmel. Syst. Nat. I, 1788, 568.— Aud. Orn. Biog. V, '1839, 326 .—Ib. Birds Am. VII, 
1844, 196. 
“ Diomedea chrysostoma, Forster.” 
“ Diomedea presaga, Brandt.” 
1 Bill broad. Tail excessively short. 
2 Bill compressed. Tail moderate. 
