Legs pale flesh colour; beak, black, with a brown-coloured streak on each side of the lower mandible; the whole body of a dirty black colour, acquiring a lighter tinge underneath.

October 30.

I shot two male specimens of this last bird:  the only distinction between them and the female was that they were rather smaller, and had a white streak instead of a light brown one on each side of the lower mandible.

First specimen—­Male.  Weight, 5 1/2 pounds.

Length from tip of wing to tip of wing 6 feet 6 inches. 
Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 2 feet 6 inches. 
Length from root to tip of tail, 11 inches. 
Length from root to tip of beak, 4 inches. 
Length from root to tip of foot, 5 inches. 
Length from root to tip of wing, 2 feet 10 inches.

Second specimen—­Male.  Weight 7 pounds.

Length from tip to tip of wing, 6 feet 9 inches. 
Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 2 feet 10 inches. 
Length of tail, 10.6 inches. 
Length of beak, 4.7 inches. 
Length of foot, 5 inches. 
Length of wing, 3 feet.

All the three specimens of this species had a distinct although minute claw, representing a thumb, upon one leg, thus apparently forming a link between the genus Procellaria and the genus Diomedea.

Pachyptila vittata.

Ash-grey above; white in the under parts; quills, tail-feathers at the tip, and band on the wings when expanded, brownish-black.

Length from tip to tip of wing, 2 feet. 
Length from tip of beak to tip of tail, 10 inches. 
Length from root to tip of tail, 4.3 inches. 
Length of beak, 1 inch. 
Length of foot, 1.5 inches. 
Length of wing, 10.5 inches.

This bird is of the same species as the one I procured on the 16th of October.  I shot it about nine A.M.  They are very numerous in these latitudes; their flight resembles much that of a snipe.  The name by which they are known to the sailors is the whale-bird; they appear to take their food upon the wing, for I have never yet seen them sit upon the waters even for a single second, although I have observed them frequently, and at all hours; but night and day they hurry on with the same restless, rapid flight, sometimes going in large flocks; and I have never upon shore seen so many birds assembled upon a few square miles as I have sometimes here observed in the open ocean.  I never heard them utter any cry or sound.

I saw but few Cape pigeons (Procellaria capensis) after passing the 40th degree of longitude, and neither Cape pigeons nor albatrosses after passing the 95th degree of longitude, and 32nd parallel of latitude.  I have never seen a petrel or bird of the family Longipennes discharge its oily fluid at anyone who worried or attacked it; but have almost invariably seen it involuntarily eject it,when hurt or frightened.

The Albatross.