NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 88y 



figui-e of a pothook, for raking the eggs out of the Muttop. Birds' biUTOws ; 

 and iiiter a substantial meal off half a sheep, shipped \vith us from 

 Hastings, we ascended the sand hills and were diiectly upon tHie Cape. 

 A strong odour of excreta and guauo reached oiu- sense of smell. We 

 were amongst the Mutton Birds. A biuxow was discovered here and 

 tliere. By introducing om- long sticks we ascertained a. few birds were 

 ah-eady at home, because they attacked the end with a rat-tat-tat from 

 their peisuasive bills. With a little bit of fencing and manoeuvi-ing an 

 egg was raked from a bmrow, again from another hole, and.^o on, until 

 we h;ul a scoi'e before smidown. At this time we crossed i the neck of 

 land on to the back beach to await the an-ival of the evening's contingent 

 of buds. The locality was a complete network of bmTovfs, highly per- 

 fumed with incense of guano. The ocean was about 200 feet below us, 

 with a sm-f gently coiling in. The sun had set ; we sat down in anxioiTS 

 expectation to be introduced to our feathered friends. , Precisely at 

 thirtv-five minutes after sundown, one bird dai-ted in fi'om seaward like 

 an arrow ; but ' one swaUow does not make a summer.' Presently a 

 few more flew round, then a dozen, then hundreds, and, incredible as 

 it may seem, then thousands. Such a scene as was witnessed that 

 evening is extremely difficult to depict on paper. Imagine now in the 

 gloaming, lit up by the new-homed moon, myriads of fonns of dusky- 

 coloiued birds cutting the air in all directions with lightning-like rapichty, 

 their flight being like that of wild Ducks, very swift. We stand behind 

 bushes as the birds whizz pa.«t. Two or more may ^ be coming in the 

 du'ection of one of us, who laimches out with his egging crook at the 

 first; it is by like a Swift, and he stiikes a yard or two behind it, while 

 the next bird nearly hfts his hat. However, at, times the air is so tluck 

 that it is well nigh impossible to miss a bird if you were to strike. But 

 it is cruel sport to fell birds thus. By about half-past eight the 

 majority of birds had alighted. Ihe whole place was literally ahve 

 with featliei"s ; and such a noise — flapping of wings along the gi'ound, 

 pattering of feet, nistling through grass and bushes, hundreds already 

 underground croaking and squeaking, some wi-angling for biUTOws and 

 others getting ousted. It appeared as if it would take all night 

 to settle down ; therefore we directed oiu- footsteps campward by the 

 aid of what light yet remained of the setting moon. After getting 

 comfortably settled under canvas for the night, the gentle noise from 

 tlie ocean soon lulled us to sleep. 



Next morning, at dayhght, we had Mutton Bird eggs frying in a 

 pan ; we relished them much. Then we started with om- sticks, hand- 

 bags, and a couple of fish-baskets to gather in eggs. We visited the 

 locality, a decline facing the back beach, where we observed the most 

 bh-ds land on the previous evening. This siding resembled a great 

 rabbit>wairen, being a complete network of holes, except where the 

 earth's siu'face was covered with a species of creeping ice-plant. It was 

 a comical picture to observe the quintette raking away at the holes with 

 long sticks. How eagerly each member worked — one on his knees, 

 another doubled in two, like the man with the " muck-rake ; " another 

 grasping a croaking bird by its wing flights, while another conveyed a 

 hat brimming full of eggs to the nearest basket. The skipper of oiu" 



