Pyckoft. — On Birds of the Bay of Islands. 143 



21. Larus domimcanus. (Southern Black-back Gull). 

 Very common. I have obtained this bird's eggs at Tapeka 



Point, situated at the entrance to Russell, and also at the 

 Black Rocks, off Moturoa Island. The nest is built of a coarse 

 grass, and is about a foot in diameter, aiid almost flat and 

 compact. 



In November last year several of us went to the Black 

 Rocks, which are composed of basalt, and vary from 40 ft. to 

 60 ft. in height. Deep water washes the sides facing the 

 ocean, which are perpendicular. The tops are flat, and chasms 

 which are in places not more than 2 ft. wide split up some 

 of the rocks. A heavy swell made the landing difficult, 

 but we were compensated by watching the swell, which 

 was a grand sight, rolling into the chasms and sending the 

 spray many feet above the rocks. The crabs, which were 

 clinging in crevices, scuttled into the seething foam at our 

 approach. We obtained eggs of the black-back gull, mackerel 

 gull, white-fronted tern, blue heron, and the little blue pen- 

 guin. I enjoyed some of the terns' and mackerel gulls' eggs, 

 which we boiled. One of our party had collected a small 

 bucketful of mixed eggs for pastry. When he reached home 

 the chirping of a chick drew his attention to the eggs, and 

 from a cracked egg of a black-back gull a chick was claiming 

 entrance to the world. The little bird was hatched, safely 

 wrapped up, and placed near the fire. It grew into a fine 

 bird, and always remained about the garden, although its 

 wings were not cut. 



22. Larus scopulinus. (Mackerel Gull.) 



Very common. Breeds on Tapeka Point and the Black 

 Rocks. Its nest is sometimes made of a little grass, but 

 generally the eggs are laid on the bare rock. 



23. Stercorarius crepidatus. (Richardson's Skua Gull.) 

 Plentiful from October and November till April. One 



day I counted as many as six between Opua and Russell. 

 It is interesting to watch the skuas chasing the little 

 terns for their fish. The terns cannot escape their swift 

 assailants, and drop the fish, which the skuas catch as 

 it falls. 



24. Sterna frontalis. (White-fronted Tern.) 



Very common. It breeds on the Black Rocks, and its 

 eggs are laid on the bare rock. I obtained two eggs from a 

 bird nesting on the rocks. One is the usual colour, but the 

 other is a pale-blue. About February and March the young 

 birds leave the rocks in company with the old birds, who feed 

 them for some time afterwards. 



