928 



NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



clothed tlie gioixnd like a carpet. The cotton-wood plant, in full bloom, 

 was also 25lcntiful. As the top (1866 feet) is reached, this variety of 

 vegetation ends, and travelhng becomes easier, as there is no growth to 

 impede progi'ess, but diminutive tvissock, among which are the Albatross 

 nests and their tenants. Tliese nests are built up of moss and earth about 

 four- inches above the sm^face of the ground. The material to form the 

 nest is so taken from the soil as to leave a trench all round it, and this 

 keeps things di"y for a veiy important object in \'iew. The female 

 never leaves her nest during incubation, a period of about xi.rti/ days, 

 and is fed by her consort, who faithfully hunts for food for both. The 

 Albatross is a stupid bird, for it will sit, whether hatching or not, till 

 you timible it head over heels with your foot. At the same time it 

 will resent such liberty, and if it .succeeds in getting a hold, it will take 

 a piece out of trousers, hose, and skin. They are veiy strong birds. 

 Tlie best way to catch one is to make a feint at his head with the left 

 hand, which distracts the bird's attention, and then quickly seize it by 

 the bill with the right, but be sure you get the gi'ip, as they tm-n 

 quickly, and would snap your fingers off if they got the proper hold. 

 They build on the flat plateau of the hills, and, as far as we have seen, 

 never lower down than 700 feet from sea^level. 



"At Antipodes Island, on Tuesday, Januai-y 31st, the day broke 

 beautifully, and the bay was like a mirror, but the glass was still low. 

 As the day advanced we were enveloped for half-an-hour in one of those 

 dense mists characteristic of this locality, and when it passed, the hills 

 were covered with snow. The height of this hill is marked on the 

 chart at 600 feet, but this is an error, as the principal hill. Mount 

 Galloway, is 1,200 feet above sea-level. From seaward the hill looks 

 conical or dome-shaped, but on reaching the summit a beautiful clear 

 lake, covering an area of thirteen or fourteen acres, is found — a lake 

 which, later in the season than the time of our visit, is much frequented 

 by the Albatross, being virtually surrounded by thousands of their 

 nests." 



Among the places beyond the Australian region where this species 

 is stated to breed, are Falkland Islands (i.e., islands immediately south 

 of East Falkland), Tristan d'Acunha (doubtful) and Kerguelen. 



On the last mentioned locality Mr. Robert Hall made the interesting 

 discovery of a splendid I'ookery near the South Head of Greenland 

 Harbour. The cliff faced the east and was about 700 feet high The 

 Albatrosses were dotted upon it to the height of about 400 feet, where 

 an incline led to it. He counted forty or fifty birds in a flock on the 

 water, just in front of the nesting place — a small propoi'tion compared 

 with the five hundred to seven hundred birds that whitened the cliff 

 above. Although Mr. Hall spent three days in visiting the isLinds and 

 the mainland in search of this rooken', unfortunately it was not seen 

 until the vessel had left and was sailing within a few hundred yards 

 of the place. 



Laying season, November and December, the young commencing 

 to appear in Januaiy. 



