896 



NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Observations. — Tlie large Brown or Great Grey Petrel frequents the 

 southern seas, being most numerous between the 30tli and 55th degrees 

 of south latitude. Gould, on his voyage to and from Australia, 

 obtained many specimens of the bird. This makes it more inexplicable 

 why lus figure (" Birds of Australia,' folio, vol. vii., pi. 47) was not 

 coloiu-ed truer to life. The bird is made to appear gi'ey instead of 

 light-brown, and to possess a. yellowish culnien instead of dark horn- 

 coloiu'. 



Gould remarked that the powers of flight of tliis fine sea-bird are 

 exceedingly great, and in flying over the ocean it often mounts higher 

 in the air than any other member of its group, and descends again with 

 tlie utmost eagerness to seize any fatty substance thrown overboard. 

 Its actions and flight differ slightly from those of the other Petrels, and 

 more resemble those of the Albatrosses. 



The Brown Petrel is considered one of the best divers of its tribe. 

 Sometimes it poises in the air for a moment at the height of about 

 twenty-five feet above the water, and closing its wings takes a header 

 into the waves. However, under water the bird uses its wings much 

 in the same manner as when flying. 



The eggs above described were collected on Macquarie Island, the 

 latter pai-t of November, 1896, by Mr. Joseph Burton, per favour of 

 Mr. Joseph Hatch, the lessee of the island. The eggs were acrompanied 

 by a skin of the bird. Macquarie Island is an exceedingly rough and 

 iTigged place, almost devoid of vegetation, situated 860 miles south-east 

 by south from Hobart. It is about twenty miles long by about seven 

 miles broad, its gi'eatest height being 1,300 feet above sea^level. 



During an interesting conversation with Mr. Bui'ton, after his i-etum 

 from Maxquarie Island, where he remained 3i years, he infonued me 

 that Bi-o^vn Petrels generally appear in niunbers after the middle or 

 toiwards the end of August (he noted one bird as early as thei 12tli of 

 that month), and depart about the end of May. Fresh eggs may be 

 collected the end of November or beginning of December, but, strange 

 to say, in March and April (1900) some fresh eggs were observed in the 

 Fjurrows. 



The burrows are in great numbers on the hill sides, from sea-level 

 up to about 400 or 500 feet, and extend on an average four or five feet 

 in the soft soih the nesting chamber being sparingly lined with portions 

 of tussock gra,ss. The biUTOw apparently always extends a> little beyond 

 the nesting chamber, because, if a sitting bird were disturbed, it usually 

 got out of reach by mo\nng fui-ther in. If a biUTOw be in use, a few 

 blades of tussock gi-ass will be noticed in the entrance. 



The birds generally go to sea at day-light, wliich, on account of the 

 latitude, occurs there about 2 o'clock in mid-summer, retimiing about 

 du.sk (10 p.m.) ; but, just before laying season, usually two birds- (presum- 

 ably a mated pair) were found in tlic burrows (hu-ing the day. 



Tlie call of the Brown Petrel, when flying, is a single wliistlo-like ciy. 

 In the burrows they coo like Prions, only, of coui-se, louder, 



