brooks: ialki>am) island birds. 139 



No opportunity was aH'onlod to detennino the exact incubation 

 period. On November 22, 191."), the first downy young were noted 

 at San Carlos. At the Port Stephens colony, which had been robbed 

 of three or four thousand eggs, about half the nests contained downy 

 young on December 6. 



The young, although absolutely helpless upon hatching, develop 

 rapidly, obtaining a great deal of nourishment if the prodigious 

 (Hstention of their alxlomens is any criterion. They are fed from the 

 contents of the parent's crop; tiie parent after retching a moment 

 brings the contents of the crop into the upper throat, and throwing 

 the head forward and opening the bill within reach, the young bird 

 thrusts its bill into the open mouth and picks the food out of its par- 

 ent's throat. 



During the first stages of development the parent protects its young 

 as much as possible from skuas and the weather, but this amounts to 

 little as regards Aveather for the best the old bird can do is lean forward 

 and turn its back to the wind allowing the young to huddle in the lee 

 with their heads between its legs. The young seek this, their only 

 shelter, until quite large. 



As soon as the young are able to toddle about their lives are fraught 

 with difficulties. Early in January ^they are to be seen wandering 

 irresolutely around not far from the old nest, crying feebly and at- 

 tempting to piu'sue any adult in quest of food. If their wandering 

 brings them within reach of neighboring youngsters a fight ensues 

 \\ ith much pulling and biting, ending usually in the loss of the very 

 precarious balance of one or both of the combatants. 



Most of the adults will no more tolerate the intrusion of a young 

 bird than an adult upon what they believe is their own little plot of 

 ground. Some helpless youngster just able to stagger about, when 

 within reach of a "testy" old bird will receive a merciless pecking 

 delivered with as much vigor as on a grow-n bird. 



About the middle of January the young are able to take care of 

 themselves sufficiently to band together in "nurseries" under the 

 care of a few adults, and here they lead a life of more or less independ- 

 ence except in the matter of food. Earl\- in Fel)ruary the young in 

 some of the outlying units of the Port Stephens colony had matured 

 enough to enable both tlie young and their parents to forsake the 

 "suburl)s" and join the great throng in the valley below. 



In the young the appearance of the advilt plumage is first noted on 

 the head and tail, then the back, then underparts, and lastly on the 

 lower neck and shoulders. The remaining down on the neck and 



