THE CAPE PIGEON. 103 



every probability that it breeds also in the Auckland Islands, on the precipitous western 

 coast, and this would account for the numbers that we saw there in November. But do 

 the young go southward in the autumn in a body ? If not, why did we meet them 

 just within the circle and lose them entirely farther north around their breeding haunts ? 

 And if in the autumn they do go south, one wonders for what purpose ? Possibly 

 our experience was exceptional. In the winter they are again farther to the 

 north ; we saw them between New Zealand and Cape Horn throughout the whole of 

 June, 1904, between 50° and 60° S. lat, and in abundance. They were to be seen in 

 enormous flocks in the Magellan Straits in July, and on the Atlantic side we carried 

 them north with us, and saw the last on August 4th, 1904 (about 20° S. lat.). 



No other petrel is so common in the Southern Oceans, and probably no other is 

 so easily taken by thread entanglements. It feeds upon minute crustaceans, most of 

 which appear to be coloured with the bright orange pigment that is so marked a feature 

 in those animals. They are freely ejected in a mucoid orange-coloured mess when the 

 bird is caught and handled, and the same objectionable habit is said to be indulged 

 in when the birds are disturbed upon their nests, " six or even eight feet " being given 

 as the distance to which it can be ejected, and " with great precision." I quote this 

 from Mr. Eagle Clarke's most interesting account of the breeding and nesting habits of 

 this bird. For very many years the nesting haunts of the Cape Pigeon have been 

 so little known that no eggs had been taken before the Scottish Expedition found 

 them in the South Orkneys. Here, we are told, about 20,000 birds resort for 

 nesting purposes to Laurie Island alone. The whole account is so new and so 

 interesting that I can but quote it word for word. (See "The Ibis," January, 1906, 

 pp. 174-177.) "The eggs remained entirely unknown until December 2nd, 1903, 

 when Dr. Pirie took the first specimens at the South Orkneys. The three nests from 

 which eggs were then obtained were placed on open exposed ledges of cliffs on the west 

 side of Uruguay Cove, Laurie Island, at heights from 20 to 100 feet above sea level. 

 The nests were composed of a few small angular fragments of rock and a little earth, 



and contained single eggs which were quite fresh Several were found frequently 



nesting near to each other on the same ledge, but isolated nests were not uncommon. 

 .... On December 12th more eggs were procured .... and on January 13 th, 1904, 

 a fresh egg marked on December 2nd was found chipped, so that the period of 



incubation was not less than 42 days Young birds were still in down on 



February 5th The eggs vary from oval to elongate-ovate in form The 



average of a large number of specimens is 62*35 x 43 •11mm In 1904 the 



first eggs were laid on December 3rd, or one day later than the previous year 

 (Mossman). The numerous nests found were placed either cm ledges of cliffs, 

 or, though these were few, in hollows in the earth and among small stones on steep 



scree-slopes, and all were quite open The chick in down, five days old, 



taken on January 18th, 1904, is slate-grey above, and paler and sooty on the under 

 surface." 



