936 



NESTS AND EGOS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Recently two of these Albatrosses, either dead or dying, were picked 

 up on. the beach near the Nox'th-west Cape of Australia. 



I quote two pages from Prof. Moseley's most interesting book, 

 " A Naturalist ou the ' Challenger, ' which refer to either the Flat-billed 

 or fellow-billed Albatross, and incidentally to other birds nesting on. 

 Nightingale Island, one of the Tristan d'Acunha Group, which was 

 visited 17th October, 1893. 



The Molly Hawk is an Albatross about the size of a goose ; head, 

 tluoat, and under part pure white, the wings grey, and the bill black, 

 with a yellow streak on the top, and with a bright-yellow edge to the 

 gape, which extends right back under the eye. The yellow shows out 

 conspicuously on the side of the head. It is not thus shown in Gould's 

 coloured figures. iUe bird is extremely handsome. They take up 

 their abode in separate pairs anywhere about in the ' I'ookei-y,' or under 

 the trees, where there are no Penguins, which latter situation they 

 seem to prefer. 



" They make a cyhndiical nest of tufts of gi-ass, clay, and sedge, 

 which stands up from the ground. The nest is neat and roimd. There 

 is a shallow concavity on the top for the ybird to sit on, and the edge 

 overhangs somewhat, the old bird undermining it, as the Germans said, 

 diu-iug incubation by pecking away the, tiu'f of wliich it is made. 



" I measured one nest, which was 14 inches in diameter and 10 inches 

 in height. The nests when deserted and grass-gi'own make most con- 

 venient seats. The birds lay a single egg, about the size of a goose's 

 or somewhat larger, but elongate, with one end larger than the other, 

 as are all Albatross eggs. 



" The egg is held in a sort of pouch while jthe bird is incubating. 

 Thus tlie bird has to be di'iven right off its nest before it will drop the 

 egg out of its pouch, and discover whether there is pne there or not. 



" The bii'ds, when approached, sit quietly on their nests or stand by 

 them, and never attempt to fly ; indeed they seem, when thus bent on 

 nesting, to have almost forgotten the use of their wings 



" The Albatrosses make tlieir nests sometimes right in the middle 

 of a Penguin road ; bvit the two kinds of bkds live perfectly happily 

 together. I saw no fighting, though, small as the Pengiiins arc, 1 

 think they could easily drive out the Molly Hawks if they wished it. 



" The ground of the ' rookei'y ' is bored in all chrections by the holes 

 of Prions and Petrels, which thvis live under the Penguins. Their 

 holes were not so numerous at Inaccessible Island as here. The holes 

 add immensely to the danger of travei-sing a ' rookery,' since, as one is 

 making a iiish, the ground is apt to give way and give one a fall into the 

 bhu'k filtiiy mud, and amongst a lot of fiu'ious birds, which have then 

 full chance at one's eyes and face. 



" Besides the Molly Hawks and Petrels, one or two pairs of Skuas 

 liad nests on a few mounds of earth in the ' rookery.' How tliese 

 moimds came there I could not undei-stand. 



" The Skua's eggs ai'c closely like those of the Lesser Black-backed 

 Gull, and two in niunber. The birds swooped about our heads as we 

 robbed their nests, but were not nearly so fierce a.s those we encountered 

 further south. All round their nests were scattered skeletons of Prions. 



