g22 NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



" The orange-coloured strip of bare skin which goes from the corners 

 of the mouth towards the back of the head was noticed only when the 

 bird was disturbed and opened its beak wide to eject the oily substance. 

 The use of it seems to be to enable the bird to open its mouth much 

 wider than it othei-wise could, for the piu-pose of letting the yoimg 

 bird put its head well inside the mouth of the parent when being fed. 



" The birds often had difficulty in alighting on a particular spot when 

 the wind was blowing strongly on to their breeding-gi'ound from the 

 sea, as they always flew against the wind when desiring to alight, and 

 I have watched them sometimes try seven or eight times before they 

 could successfully accomplish their object. Tliey came up with con- 

 siderable force, holding their heads well back and stretching out their 

 expanded feet at the same time, and the fact of having their wings 

 half closed gave them a very ungainly appearance when alighting. If 

 there is only a light breeze they can alight easily enough, although they 

 often stumble before gaining a proper foothold. I noticed that when- 

 ever tliey flew off they always shook their tails from side to side a few 

 times, and also when they passed excreta while flying they did the same 

 thing. 



" Only one egg is laid, and that probably during the first week in 

 October, and all the eggs hatch out within a few days of each other, 

 showing that the birds commence laying at nearly the same time. 

 About half the nests had newly-hatched young in them, and the eggs 

 taken had young ones just ready to hatch ; two addled eggs were 

 obtained. The young are very fat and helpless, and if held up by theii 

 legs a small amovnit of oil runs out of their mouths ; they are covered 

 with white down^ and their beaks are black. They generally lie down 

 in the nest, laying their head on one side, and at fii-st sight have the 

 appearance of being dead. 



On a warm day the parent bird was often noticed partly standing 

 up in the nest and leaning backwards, so as to leave the chick uncovered 

 — I presume for the sake of coolness — and also to let the little one 

 sit up and move about in the nest. 



" The bii'ds sat very closely on their single egg. This was kept 

 in a kind of longtudinal bag, bare of feathers, just below the breasts 

 bone, into which the egg fitted, and was consequently vei-y warm. Even 

 when the bird half stood up in the nest the egg could not always be 

 seen, but when the bird moved about the egg came down. The nests 

 being diy, the eggs kept fairly clean, most of them were freckled more 

 or less with reddish-brown surface-markings on the larger end. In 

 some cases these markings were minute, numerous, and almost continuous, 

 while in others they were much larger and darker, on a slightly reddish 

 ground, but there were various gradations between the two types. The 

 colom' could be washed off by a little friction." 



In returning from the island, Mr. Ashworth had the misfortune 

 to lose his exposed photograpliic plates, and nearly his life, by the 

 capsizing of the dijigy. The following season he rcturaed to re-take 

 ins pictures, and this time was accompanied by Mr. J. Gabriel. They 

 started a month earlier than on (lie previous occasion. After waiting 

 eleven dnys under the Ice of an adjacent island for an opportunity of 



