886 NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



March, carrying on the operation till the bird^ finally qviit. The yoimg 

 bird is dragged from its burrow, its head is placed between the first two 

 fingers of the right hand of a " birder, " a downward jerk, together with 

 the weight of the bird's own body is given, and the neck is easily 

 dislocated. 



Fifty or sixty are tliiis strvmg on a. spit or stick, care being taken 

 to keei> the head upwards so as not to lose any oil. This oil, which 

 is of a reddish colour, is drained from the bird, and is used for lighting 

 and other purposes. The feathers are then plucked, the body scalded 

 to remove all down, and the feet are cut off. The bodies are placed 

 on tliC' grass to cool by the evening, when they are cleaned, head and 

 neck removed, and finally salted and pickled in baiTels, each family 

 taking, about 500 or 600 birds or more for home consumption. Twenty 

 young birds will produce a gallon of oil, wliich is worth commercially 

 about 3/6, and is very useful for the preparation of leather, &c. Pickled 

 birds, are worth 10/- per himdred; while the eggs, in season, sell at from 

 lOd. to 1/- per dozen. The down and feathers* of the birds — an un- 

 touched or wasted industry — should prove exceedingly valuable. 



On account of the great annual drains of these economic birds, as 

 well as tlie numbers of eggs taken every November, the question may 

 be asked, are the niunbers of birrts diminishing? Judging by the 

 evidence of the islanders and my own observations on Phillip Island, I 

 shordd say " No.'' If the birds were unmolested, the present biurows 

 on tlie islands would not contain them, so gr'eat are their number-s. 

 All the burrows being occupied, thousands of eggs would be, and are at 

 times, when the glut ariives, deposited upon the bare ground, and, by 

 exposiu'e, perish, or ai'e devoru-cd by Gulls and other enemies. However, 

 legislation may be needed in the near future, and especially with regard 

 to depasturing cattle upon islands containing " rookeries, " for these 

 animals, treading all over the place, cave in the biuTow-uests and crush 

 both old and yoiuig. 



Dr. H. H. Montgomery, Bishop of Tasmania, whose duties pLriodically 

 take him to the Fiuneaux Group, read an interesting and valuable paper 

 before the Royal Society of Tasmania on Mutton Birds, from notes 

 taken in the locality during the " birding '' season, March, 1891. Part 

 of the paper dwelt on the utility of the bird and the futiu-e need of 

 its proper protection. Dr. Montgomery was kind enough to foi-ward 

 me a copy of his article, together with photographs of bird.s, Ac, he took 

 on a subsequent visit. I shall here quote somewhat largely from the 

 Bisho])'s account. rtis Lordship states : ' In tlic Fmiieaux Group 

 the Mutton Birds used to breed in much greater numbers than at 

 present, and I venture to hope that the chief effect of this paper may 

 be the timely mcvement by the Government to save from almost utter 

 dastruction an industry which adds distinctly to the wealth of the 

 State, and supplies a healthy article of food. At present tlic most 

 iiiipm-tant homes of those birds in the breeding season are Chappell 

 Inland (called, usually, ' Hiunmocky,' because of tlie liill in the centre), 

 Little Dog and Big Dog Islands, Green Island and Fjittlc Green Island, 



* Feathers of Mutton l^iiils were fir.st e.xhibited by Mr. \V. Giinn, of Laiin- 

 ceston, at the Great ICxhibition, London, 1S51. 



