N£STS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. y05 



" While eugagcd in watching the movements of the several species of 

 tho gi-eat lamily of I'rocdlariida., which at one time often and often 

 surrounded the ships that conveyed me round the world, a blight speck 

 would appear on the disUut horizon, and, gi-adually approaching nearer 

 and nearer, at length assumed the form of the White-headed Petrel, 

 wliose wing powers fai' exceed those of any of its congeners; at one 

 moment it would be rising high in the au', at the next sweeping, comet- 

 hke, through the flocks flying around, never, however, approaching the 

 sliip sufficiently near for a successful shot, and it was equally waiy in 

 avoiding the boat with which I was frequently favoured for the purpose 

 of securing, examples of other species. But, to make use of a famihar 

 adage, ' the most knowing are taken in at last.' One beautiful morning, 

 on the 20th Febmary, 1839, diuing my passage from Hobart Town to 

 Sydney, when the sea was perfectly calm and of a glassy smoothness, 

 tills wanderer of the ocean came in sight ajid approached within three 

 hundred yards of the vessel. Anxious to attract him still closer, so as 

 to biiug him within range, I thought of the following stratagem; — 

 A corked bottle, attached to a long line, was thrown overboard and 

 allowed to di'ift to the distance of forty or fifty yards, and kept there 

 until the bii-d favoured us with another visit while flying round immense 

 circles. At length his keen eye caught sight of the neck of the bottle 

 (to which a bobbing motion was communicated by sudden jerks of the 

 string), and he at once proceeded to examine more closely what it was 

 that had arrested liis attention ; during this momentary pause the 

 trigger was pulled, the boat lowered, and the bird was soon in my 

 possession." 



The White-headed Petrel breeds somewhat eaiiy, for, duiing the 

 American Transit of Venus Expedition to Kerguelen, 1874-5, young, 

 supposed to be referable to tliis species, were found on the 15th Sep- 

 tember li\'ing in deep buiTows in the hill sides. The Rev. Mr. Eaton 

 furnishes no dates when he took eggs, but gives the following interesting 

 information : " In Captain Hutton's paper before referred to, allusion 

 is made to an undetermined species of Petrel, to which the euphonious 

 sobriquet Procellaria diahuUca has been applied. It was said to be 

 a bird inhabiting Desolation Island, which flew about at night, utteiing 

 imeartlily shrieks. There are good reasons for supposing the sprite 

 to be Lesson's Petrel. It is difficult to describe the cry of this bird. 

 For a long time there was no fincUng out which of the Petrels gave 

 utterance during its flight to its wekd sounds. Whenever its cry was 

 heard, I went out with a lantern to endeavour to get a sight of the 

 bird, but without success. At last, near Thumb Peak, we dug out some 

 large birds whose outcries, when caught by the beak, plainly identified 

 them beyond all question with t£'. lesson i. 



'■ The biuTow of this Petrel can be recognised externally by its 

 being about as large as an ordinary rabbit's hole, and dry, and by its 

 entrance being generally sparsely bestrewn with gi'een shoots of Accena. 

 It is usually excavated in Azorella, the tunnel is short, the large ter- 

 minal chamber contains no special nest, and when the hand is cautiously 

 introduced to feel after the e^g, it is promptly and severely bitten by 

 the old bird. It is therefore well to take the precaution of dragging 



