OCEANIC BIRD LIFE 233 



Island we observed the large southern skua (Catharacta skua lonnbergi), 

 which is a subspecies of the great skua of the North Atlantic. This skua is 

 the worst robber and carrion-eater in the entire South Seas. The species of 

 sea-birds on North Island, New Zealand, were different from those on 

 South Island. In Hauraki Bay, near Auckland, the bird life was especially 

 rich and distinctive. The Australian gannet (Sula senator j occurred here in 

 large colonies on islets and rocks. We went out to visit one such colony, 

 which consisted of a few hundred pairs. As in all gannet colonies, the nests 

 were very close together; and it was a fine sight to see these large white 

 birds come gliding in a ceaseless stream to the colony after foraging in 

 the sea. During our \'isit, which took place in February, most of the young 

 were nearly fledged. 



In Hauraki Bay we observed the characteristic grey-backed shearwater 

 (Piiffinus bulleri), with its remarkable, slow wing-stroke and the W- 

 shaped marking on the back and wing coverts. The whereabouts of this 

 bird's breeding grounds was unknown until about 20 years ago, when a 

 New Zealand ornithologist found it breeding on some capes and peninsulas 

 on the east side of North Island. 



P^ 



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Cape pigeons (Daption capensis) by the ship's side in heavy sea near Campbell Island. This 

 petrel, about the size of a black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus), is characteristic of the cold 

 waters round the South Pole. It often seeks its food round whaling ships. 



