982 



NESTS AND EGGS Of AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



coast of South Australia. Much as has been said respecting the natural 

 stupidity of other species of the genus sw'f/ — Boobies, as they are called- 

 the present appeared to be the Booby par excellence, as evidenced by 

 the manner in which I captiu-ed the specimens in my collection. Observ- 

 ing about fifty fine adult birds reposing on the flat top of a low rock 

 on one of the Actaeons, I directed my boatman to row cautiously, that 

 I might endeavour to get a shot at them ; I was soon not only within 

 range, but too near to iise my lai'ge duck g^un, loaded as it was with 

 large shot; I determined therefore to shoot them on the wing as they 

 flew from their resting place. Judge of my surprise when I found that 

 neither the near approach of the boat nor oiu- speaking to each other 

 startled them in the least. Taking one of the men witli me, I stepped 

 on shore and approached the motley assembly, which was still sitting 

 in close an-ay on the rock, and which did at length exhibit some degree 

 of siu-prise and uneasiness at the intrusion, but even then was so little 

 disturbed that we succeeded in captimng five fine birds with the hand 

 before the remainder had shuffled oft' to the ledge of the rock and taken 

 wing. Had this occurred at a breeding place it woidd not have excited 

 my astonishment, for I was aware that the Sii/a iassaiiri would allow 

 itself to be so taken at that period ; but I did not expect that the pi'esent 

 species would admit of being captiu-ed while merely at rest. Tliis 

 apparent want of caution or stupidity may in all probability be attributed 

 to the fact that their haamts on these islands had rarely been intnided 

 upon : boats the natives of the southern parts of Tasmania, never 

 possessed, and the visits of civilized man must have been few and far 

 between." 



In 1893 a party from the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, includ- 

 ing myself, after spending an adventurous and anxious night in a double- 

 ended cutter-rigged boat of about nine tons, landed on Cat Island, off 

 the east coast of Flinders Island. The following is the official stoiy of 

 oxir good leader (Mr. Joseph Gabriel), as told before the club on our 

 return : " 20th November. At daybreak I was called by skipper Holt, 

 to find the boat swinging by two cables and the wind blowing half a gale, 

 but fortimately not from the dreaded quarter, viz., the east. I took 

 watch so as to allow Mr. Holt to have a rest, he having been up all night. 

 Soon after daybreak we had a consultation, as we were very dubious of 

 landing, on accovint of the high sea running. To make matters still 

 more annoying, we could see the Cormorant rookery on Storehouse 

 Island, and the Gannet rookery on Cat Island, in full swing. This 

 latter we had risked all and ventured so far to see. But oiu- anxiety 

 was soon .set at rest by Mr. Holt, who, with our willing assistance, heaved 

 up the anchors and sailed^ under tlie staysail, to what tiuiicd out to be 

 a more sheltered spot nearer Cat Island. We landed with some difficulty 

 per dingy, at 10 a.m., and soon found our way to the Gannet rookeiy. 

 Here all oiu" troubles and seasick qualms were soon forgotten and amply 

 repaid by the wonderful sight which stood revealed before us. We 

 found Ijctween 2,400 and 2, GOO birds (roughly estimated by measuring) 

 seated in the locality on their nests. The birds were in nowise put out 

 by our presence, and we photogra])hcd to our hearts' content. The 

 nests were built on slightly raised mounds of clay and a good admixtiu'e 



