▁all ▁contemporary ▁descri ptions ▁and ▁dep ict ions ▁of ▁the ▁species ▁were ▁made ▁between ▁ 1 7 8 8 ▁and ▁ 1 7 9 0 . ▁The ▁bird ▁was ▁first ▁mentioned ▁by ▁the ▁master ▁of ▁HMS ▁Supp ly , ▁David ▁Black burn , ▁in ▁a ▁ 1 7 8 8 ▁letter ▁to ▁a ▁friend . ▁Other ▁accounts ▁and ▁illustr ations ▁were ▁produced ▁by ▁Arthur ▁Bow es ▁S my th , ▁the ▁fleet ' s ▁naval ▁officer ▁and ▁sur geon ▁who ▁drew ▁the ▁first ▁known ▁illustr ation ▁of ▁the ▁species ; ▁Arthur ▁Phill ip , ▁governor ▁of ▁New ▁South ▁Wales ; ▁and ▁George ▁R aper , ▁mid ship man ▁of ▁. ▁Second hand ▁accounts ▁also ▁exist , ▁and ▁at ▁least ▁ten ▁contemporary ▁illustr ations ▁are ▁known . ▁The ▁accounts ▁indicate ▁that ▁the ▁population ▁varied , ▁and ▁individual ▁bird ▁pl um age ▁was ▁white , ▁blue , ▁or ▁mixed ▁blue - and - white . ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 7 9 0 , ▁the ▁Lord ▁How e ▁sw am phen ▁was ▁scientific ally ▁described ▁and ▁named ▁by ▁the ▁sur geon ▁John ▁White ▁in ▁a ▁book ▁about ▁his ▁time ▁in ▁New ▁South ▁Wales . ▁He ▁named ▁the ▁bird ▁Ful ica ▁al ba , ▁the ▁specific ▁name ▁being ▁derived ▁from ▁the ▁Latin ▁word ▁for ▁white ▁( al bus ). ▁White ▁found ▁the ▁bird ▁most ▁similar ▁to ▁the ▁western ▁sw am phen ▁( P orph y rio ▁por phy rio , ▁then ▁in ▁the ▁genus ▁Ful ica ). ▁Although ▁he ▁apparently ▁never ▁visited ▁Lord ▁How e ▁Island ,