FOOD OF BIRDS AND FISHES 481 



Captain Wallis, commanding H.M.S. ' Dolphin', says that when in 48 56' 8,65° 6' W, 

 on December 9, 1766, "this day we saw such a quantity of red shrimps about the ship 

 that the sea was coloured with them". 1 



Sir Joseph Banks during Cook's first voyage found Grimothea off the coast of Pata- 

 gonia. He says, 2 " 2nd January 1769. Met with some small shoals of red lobsters, which 

 have been seen by almost everyone passing through these seas; they were, however, so 

 far from colouring the sea red, as Dampier and Cowley say they do, that I may affirm 

 that we never saw more than a few hundreds of them at a time. We called them Cancer 

 gregarius". On his return he sent his specimens to Fabricius who first described the 

 species scientifically and named it " Galaihea gregaria". 



It is apparent from most of the above accounts that the animals referred to are the 

 pelagic Grimothea stage of M. gregaria. 



LOBSTER-KRILL THE FOOD OF BIRDS AND FISHES 

 As would be expected, the abundant shoals of the Grimothea stage of M. gregaria are 

 eagerly preyed upon by other animals. Thomson, 1898, records that " Grimothea occurs 

 in our [New Zealand] seas, especially in the summer months, in enormous shoals, which 

 frequently colour large areas bright red. These shoals consist often of immense numbers 

 of individuals, of which such masses are thrown up on the beaches as at times to create 



a stench They constitute a very common article of food for both fishes and sea birds. 



Even in midwinter when none have been seen swimming about, I have got them in 

 hundreds in the stomachs of red- and blue-cod and hapuku". Anderton, 1906, says, 

 " During the season that the 'whale feed' is in the ocean and the bay the stomachs of 

 almost all fish, including flat fish, have been found to contain large numbers of them, 

 and it is certain that they constitute one of the most important fish foods, and no doubt 

 play a considerable part in the migration of many fish". 



E. R. Waite, 1909, speaking of the Auckland Island Shag says, "One of the most 

 striking features of the voyage was presented during our passage down the Auckland 

 coast. In the offing the sea was black in patches with shags, and by the aid of a glass or 

 when sufficiently near to such a body we noted that considerable commotion was taking 

 place. The birds were evidently feeding; their food, whatever its nature, being scattered 

 over wide areas, but evidently closely packed where it occurred. At the time I con- 

 sidered the birds were catching fish, but later changed my views. It is quite impossible 

 to convey any idea of the number of birds thus engaged. In passing from the shore to 

 their feeding grounds, or in the reverse direction, their flight behind, over and in front 

 of the vessel was a constant stream, and this continued for many miles. The birds 

 returning to the shore were noticed to be heavy with food; their bodies were fully 



distended and the flight in consequence distinctly laboured A flat stretch of rock 



below our camp at the Auckland Islands proved to be a favourite assembling ground for 

 shags and we had no trouble in observing them I examined the stomachs of others 



1 See note 6 on p. 480. 



2 Banks, Sir J., Journal during Captain Cook's first voyage. Ed. Sir J. Hooker. London, 1896. 



