Bullee. — On the Ornithology of Neio Zealand. 117 



indifferent to the stream of passengers to and fro on both sides 

 of the river. I met with another instance of this at Blair- 

 quhan, the country seat of Sir Edward Hunter-Brown, Bart. 

 Here, owing to the close protection given to a small lake in 

 the park, a couple of hundred Wild-duck had become perfectly 

 tame, and would come up every day to the keeper's house to 

 be fed. These same birds on being seen on the Biver Girvan 

 close by, where shooting is allowed, are as shy as ever. So 

 much for the intelligence of the common Wild-duck, which 

 has learned to regard the park lake as a sanctuary, where it is 

 perfectly safe from molestation ! But to return to the Sea- 

 gulls. The manner in which they have increased in Welling- 

 ton Harbour during the last few years, in spite of advancing 

 traffic, is a striking proof of the efficacy of this protection. At 

 Pitone, where the Gear Meat-freezing Works are situated, 

 there is of necessity a considerable discharge of refuse matter, 

 and the number of Seagulls, of both species, that congregate 

 there on the beaches and gravel-banks is something surprising. 

 On my last visit to Tokanu, on Lake Taupo, I noticed 

 many hundreds of birds flying overhead, and the natives 

 assured me these w T ere the tarapunga (Larus scopulinus) on 

 their regular migration from the Botoaira Lake. This was 

 on the 25th October. The birds were at a considerable eleva- 

 tion, presenting peculiar combinations ; at one time flying in 

 closely-packed lines, then forming into a wedge-shape, and 

 then scattering again like a flock of crows, and uttering all 

 the time loud cries of kek — kek — kek. Large contingents of 

 the birds had already arrived, because they were to be seen 

 crowding together in large numbers on the exposed sand- 

 banks just above the surface of the water. 



Sterna frontalis, Gray. (Common Tern.) 



On the Taupo plains, where there are thousands of sterile 

 acres covered with manuka scrub, about five or six miles in- 

 land of the lake I observed two Terns, apparently of this 

 species, hovering over the ground, although I found it diffi- 

 cult to imagine what they could find to attract them in such 

 a barren locality. Probably they were in quest of lizards. 



This species of Tern frequents the Taupo Lake, and so does 

 Sterna antarctica. 



Sterna fuliginosa, Gould. (Sooty Tern.) 



I have received a good many specimens from the Kermadec 

 Islands. Mr. Cheeseman writes, " It is called the ' Wide- 

 awake ' bird by the Bells, and breeds in immense numbers 

 in the summer-time, but leaves the group altogether in the 

 winter." 



