384 Transactions. — Miscellaneo^is. 



of shooting-distance, when the captain discharged a gun a 

 Httle distance away. This disturbed them, and they disap- 

 peared. They looked hke the grey duck — Anas SKjJcrciliosa.) 



Now, returning to my hill-expedition, I was delighted to be 

 once more among my feathered friends, and spent some hours 

 watching their movements and procuring specimens. All at 

 once I heard the whistle of the " Stella," and, following down 

 the nearest gully, I saw her steaming up and down the har- 

 bour, blowing the fog-horn. It was 2 p.m. I endeavoured to 

 hurry; but my specimens, and the holes, bogs, and dense scrub, 

 made this difii cult. During the scramble I fell into a hole. A 

 loud barking growl announced that I had nearly tumbled on 

 the top of a large sea-lion, which had been asleep in it. We 

 both looked surprised. He did not move, but sat up, showing 

 his white canine teeth. I pulled out my sheath-knife, and, 

 keeping my eye on him, scrambled out backwards, and bade 

 farewell to my new acquaintance. At last I came on a sealer's 

 track, which led nie to the water, and a boat took )ne on 

 board ; but there were still more on shore who believed in 

 enjoying the whole time promised by the captain, who had 

 done his work sooner than he had exj^ected. When I un- 

 packed my specimens I found that through this hurry I had 

 lost several, and broken nearly all the eggs that I had col- 

 lected. 



Passing Monument Island, with its peculiar-shaped rocks, 

 we anchored a short distance from where the " Grafton " 

 was wrecked. A boat was sent on shore to examine the re- 

 mains of the vessel, which are scattered along the shore. 

 Captain Fairchild informed me that not far from here is the 

 best anchorage in the Auckland Islands. We next explored the 

 sounds of the east coast, some of which cut far into the centre 

 of the island. In Waterfall Inlet the water is so deep that the 

 steamer's jib-boom was among the trees growing on the cliffs 

 when we were taking in water from a beautiful fall. On the 

 cliffs the sooty albatross {piomcdea fulicjinosa) was breeding. 

 I also saw six mergansers, and shot two of them ; the others 

 concealed themselves among the rocks. Their habits are like 

 those of a duck and not like those of their European allies, 

 which usually escape by diving. Among the other birds seen 

 were the skua gull, the black-backed gull, the mackerel gull, 

 the yellow-billed albatross, the nelly, the Cape pigeon, and 

 the white-headed petrel (Procellaria Icssoni). I now exhibit 

 the specimens collected on the Auckland Islands. 



On the 28th January we arrived at Campbell Island, after 

 a very rough passage. It is 164 miles from the Auckland 

 Islands in a south-east direction, and is about ten miles from 

 north to south, and eleven from east to west. Its geological 

 formation is partly scdimentai-y and partly volcanic. It is 



