•638 THE BIRDS OF LORD HOWE AND NORFOLK ISLANDS, 



For the sake of brevity, references to the principal articles are 

 given hereafter as follows — Gould; Crowfoot; Ramsay; North, 

 'Nests and Eggs'; North, 'Lord Howe Island'; Etheridge, 

 * Lord Howe Island '; Campbell. 



It has been my good fortune to spend a few weeks on these 

 Islands. In 1907 I visited Lord Howe Island, remaining there 

 from the 3rd to the 17th of October; and in 1908 I spent from 

 the 8th of October until the 15th of November at Norfolk Island. 

 My primary object was to see the immense flocks of Terns, 

 Noddies, and other sea-birds during the breeding season, but at 

 the same time I was enabled to glean some information and to 

 make personal observations as to the land-birds. 



Lord Howe Island is situated inlat. 31° 33' S., and long. 159° 5' 

 E. It is about 450 miles north-east of Sydney, and 300 miles from 

 Port Macquarie, the nearest point of the continent of Australia 

 in a direct line. It is nearly seven miles in length, and about 

 one mile in average width. It is crescent-shaped, the two horns 

 or points being connected by a coral-reef enclosing an extensive 

 and shallow lagoon. The superficial area of the Island is about 

 3,220 acres. The group consists of Lord Howe Island proper, a. 

 small islet immediately detached from its southern extremity, 

 called Gower Island; a similar one to the north known as the 

 Sugar Loaf; to the east, separated by somewhat more than half 

 a mile of water, another, named Mutton Bird Island; whilst on 

 the western side, within the Lagoon, is Goat Island. To the 

 north-east of the main Island, from a quarter of a mile to nearly 

 a mile distant, is a cluster of six rocky islets, know^n as the 

 Admiralty Islets. Still further north lie two other rocks, one 

 being called North Island. About 18 miles to the south, the 

 extraordinary steeple-rock, called Ball's Pyramid, towers to a 

 height of 1,800 feet from the ocean. It is quite inaccessible to 

 human beings, but is the haunt of numerous sea-birds. 



The main Island consists of three groups of basaltic hills, 

 connected by two sandy flats covered with dense vegetation. 

 The southernmost group contains Mt. Gower, 2,840 feet, and 

 Mt. Lidgbird, 2,500 feet. The former shows a bold face or 



