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DIOMEDEA BRACHYURA, Temm.
Short-tailed Albatros.

Diomedea brachyura, Temm.—Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 609.

 

Tus is the only species of Albatros, with which Iam acquainted, that flies to the northward of the equator,
and it is figured in the present work more for the purpose of including every species of the genus
yet known, than for its being strictly speaking an Australian bird; still the chances are that it does
frequently visit the northern coasts of that country, since it is abundantly dispersed over the North Pacific
and Indian Oceans; its great stronghold, however, is the China Seas. It is a very fine species, and only
exceeded in size by the Diomedea exulans, to which it bears a considerable resemblance, but from which
it may be distinguished by the shortness of its tail and by the truncated form of the base of the bill.

Its habits, manners and food doubtless resemble those of the other members of the genus.

The adults of both sexes have the general plumage white, washed with buff on the head and neck; the
edge and centre of the wing white, the remainder and the tips of the tail dark brown; bill pinky flesh-
colour; irides brown; legs and feet bluish white; eyelash greenish white.

The young differ in being of a uniform chocolate-brown.

The Plate represents the adult and young bird rather more than the natural size.

 

Ait

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ehahreld saul