354 LAKIS.f.. 



Mr. Joseph Gabriel writes from Abbotsford, \'ictoria : — " While on tlie Field Naturalists' 

 Club of X'ictoria's Expedition to the Furneaux Group, in Bass Straits, we found several sets of 

 eggs of the Pacific Gull (Gahianus pacificns). Unlike the Silver Gull they prefer to nest alone, 

 and shew taste in selecting spots for their nests. Mcscmhyyantluiuitm in flower seems to be a 

 weakness of theirs, and \ery pretty their nests look when surrounded by the Howers of this 

 showy plant." 



From Broome Hill, South-western Australia, Mr. 'I'oni Carter writes: — " I never observed 

 the Pacific Gull (Gahianus paiijicits) in North-western Australia, but it occurs south of the 

 tropics, and is common in Albany Harbour, in tlie summer months." 



From I3r. L. Holden's M.S. notes, whilst residing at Circular Head, Tasmania, I have 

 extracted the following : — " On the 2nd November, 1886, we found many nests of Lanis pacificus 

 on Pelican Lsland, Woolnorth, and brought away fourteen eggs. iJne nest had two chickens and 

 an egg, most of the others two, some one; all we took were fresh. 'I'he nests are slightly hollowed 

 out collections of dry herbage or sea-weed, and are placed amongst the tussocks and bushes on 

 the edges of the more elevated parts of the island. We saw only black and white birds about, 

 none of those in immature plumage. They tlew overhead at a judicious distance, uttering 

 their barking caw. The island is perhaps half an acre, composed of rocks, etc., with the elevated 

 parts in the centre thickly covered with coarse herbage and low, scrubby bushes, and in places 

 wild flowers in profusion. The nests are quite exposed and easily found. On the 14th November, 

 we visited the Ball Rock, off Circular Head, found a single nest of Lams pacifii-'iis with three 

 eggs. The birds must have carried the hay for it from the mamland, for there is no herbage on 

 the island. On the 15th November, I found three or four nests on the dry sea-weed on the 

 point of extreme head of Circular Head Peninsula. One had one egg in it the others were empty. 

 On the 3rd December there were three young ones in the nest last mentioned, and another nest 

 with two eggs in. One can see in the spring the young brown gulls changing into the black 

 and white plumage of the mature bird. On the 12th December, we visited Circular Head 

 Peninsula, and found two gulls' nests, one with two eggs just hatching, the other three eggs 

 heavily incubated. On the 30th October, 1887, I found three eggs in a nest on the same point. 

 On the 27th October, 1889, I found a nest with three eggs at North Point, Circular Head, and 

 four others empty on the next point. On the i8th November, 1891, I found newly hatched 

 young and fresh eggs in nests on Circular Head Peninsula." 



From Tasmania, Mr. R. N. Atkinson sends me the following notes: — "The Pacific Gull 

 (Lams pacificus) occurs plentifully in Bass Strait, and along the shores of Tasmania, where it 

 breeds on a large number of the small islands. The nests are usually situated near the highest 

 part of the islands, being depressions in the ground, amongst the tufts of grass and creeping 

 vegetation, lined thickly with tussoclcy grass; the average measurements being about nine inches 

 in diameter by three inches in depth. The eggs are either two or three for a sitting. My 

 father noticed, during a trip in company with Mr. W. G. T. Armstrong, to the Furneaux Group, 

 in November, 1907, that these birds created great havoc amongst the eggs of Plialaci'ocovax 

 Icucogastcr, when these rook'eries were intruded upon by the party and the parent birds left the 

 nests. I have been told by the residents of this locality that the same thing occurs when the 

 Mutton Birds (Ncctris Icunivustvis) arrive in such great numbers as to be crowded out of their 

 burrows, and are laying in all directions on the open ground. Pacific Gulls were also present 

 on a large lagoon on Flinders Island, where in November, 1909, I found a colony of P. caiiw 

 and F. mclaualencus breeding in the tea trees. I doubt if their presence boded any good for the 

 cormorants. The breeding season commences in October and is at its height during November. 



The eggs are usually three in number for a sitting, sometimes only two, oval in form, some 

 specimens being slightly elongate or rather pointed at the smaller end, the shell being coarse- 

 grained, dull and lustreless, and occasionally slightly glossy. They vary in ground-colour from 



