NESTS AND EGGS Of AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 903 



samo cavern, each nest being placed at the end of a separate burrow, 

 having a vaiying length, with an ovai chamber at tlie I'lu-tlier end. 

 These biurows are generally about tlii-ee feet in extent (one, however, 

 measiued foui-), ;uid the nest or egg chamber is decidedly smaller than 

 that usually fomied by the Black Petrel (M. p<irl;iiisoni), and has a few 

 diy kaves on the floor (Billler). 



The buiTOWs are from lA to 4 feet apart; the entrance 6 to 10 

 inches in diameter; the passage (usually winding) in most cases '1 to 4 

 feet in length. Tlie egg chamber is from 1^ to 2 feet wide, and from 

 i to 1 foot in height (Reischek). 



Eygs. — Clutch, one; roimdish oval in shape; texture of shell some- 

 what coai'se ; surface has faint trace of gloss and is minutely pitted, 

 especially at the smaller end ; colour, pure wliite. Dimensions in inches 

 of examples from Cape Maria Van Diemen (New Zealand) ; (1) 2-7 x 1'9, 

 (2) 2-6 X l-9o, (3) 2-6 X 1-9. 



Observations. — This Southern Ocean flyer is at once distinguished 

 by its gi'eat Swift-like wings, and is therefore well named on that 

 account. 



Gould considered a bird he killed in the Tasmanian seas (where 

 they are tolerably abundant), because of its larger size, longer wings, 

 and gi-eyer face, to be different from the Atlantic Petrel ; but more 

 recent investigations have proved the two birds to be identical. The 

 bird has also been called CE. ijuuldi by New Zealand authors. 



According to Sir Walter Buller, Eeischek found the Great-winged, 

 or Gould Petrel, all rovmd the Little Barrier Island. This Petrel is 

 also said to breed sixty miles inland from Opotild, in a range of moun- 

 tains, and in large numbers on the island of Ivarewa, in the Bay of 

 Plenty, on Whale Island, and other small islands off the east coast, 

 on several small islands in Hauraki Gulf, and on the coast line north of 

 the Manukau. 



The examples of eggs in my own collection were taken July, 1886, 

 at Cape Maria Van Diemen- by the lighthouse keeper. 



Mr. A. Reischek's interesting field observations of the Great-winged 

 Petrel are : " These Petrels are common on the coast of New Zealand. 

 I saw them in large flocks out at sea, where they remain from March 

 till August; in the latter month they come ashore to their old breeding 

 places, which they use annually as long as they are not molested. 

 These birds breed in colonies ; their btuTows are sometimes very close 

 to one another; on the Little Bai-rier Island (or Hautvuii Island), 

 I measured a piece of gi'ound tliirty-six feet in circumference in the 

 centre of wliich were six burrows. Their breeding resorts are always 

 on the cliffs along the coast — and some are very difficult to approach — 

 dug out by these Petrels even in hard sandy fonnation or clay. In 

 August male and female begin to clean out their old biuTows or dig 

 fresh ones, if the former have been disturbed, in a similar manner to 

 the Procdlaria parkinsoni. In the beginning of September the female 

 lays one white egg, the size of that of a common fowl ; they very seldom 

 lay two eggs. The female hatches the egg, the male roams about the 



