364 PUFFININ^. 



had arrived at the colony, flying in the now star-lit night from just a few feet above our 

 heads until distance hid them from view. We had now worked our way down into a \alley 

 between two of the larger hummocks, here we watched and wondered how the intricate ma/.e 

 formed by countless numbers of birds in the air could wing their way without colliding with one 

 another. Now and again notes were uttered closely resembling some of those of Dacelo f^igas; 

 a bird would occasionally alight, sometimes almost at our feet, and quickly disappear either in a 

 burrow or among the bushes. This continued until 8-30 p.m., when the birds flying overhead 

 gradually began to decrease in numbers, having settled as we could tell by the weird noises 

 proceeding both from the bushes and burrows; in fact why they remained flying so long in the 

 air after they had arrived at their destination was a matter of conjecture with us. By 8-45 p.m. 

 all the birds had settled. What a medley of strange confused sounds of squabbling and apparent 

 fighting was all around us as we made our way through the colony, stumbling now and again, 

 as we put a foot through the soft yielding sandy soil just above the entrance to a burrow and 

 which caved in under one's weight. At length, as we gained the outer portion of the colony our 

 ears were assailed by a greater noise than ever from some birds, and found it was caused 

 by a number of them in the semi-darkness being Mocked by portions of an old bush fence. It 

 was too dark to do anything, so we started on our two miles "Nvalk home. The following day 

 only a few eggs were obtained. On the 26th they were more plentiful but nothing in number 

 one would have expected them to be by the quantity of birds which visited the colony on the 

 night of the 24th. The statement that the bulk of the birds come in regularly to lay on Phillip 

 Island on the night of the 25th November, and that their eggs may be gathered on the following 

 day is not always correct. During my stay on the island more birds came in on the night of 

 the 27th November and their eggs were commoner on the following day. Fishing off the 

 rocks was indulged in by our party on tlie 28th November, and only small isolated burrows at 

 the western end of the colony were examined. Here the birds were found to be unmolested and 

 most of the burrows each contained an egg. Several of the birds drawn forth made their escape 

 by running straight down to the beach, then spreading their wings and continuing their run 

 reached the water the surface of which they slightly patted for a few yards and took to flight, flying 

 straight out to sea, keeping close to the surface of the water, .^s is well known these birds cannot 

 rise on a level plane, but can make use of a slight declivity. On Burton's beach I observed two 

 dead Mutton-birds washed up by the tide, and lying head downwards, partially buried in the sand. 

 The ovarium of one I dissected contained a perfect egg, and the stomach some small pieces of 

 water-worn rock, with which were mixed the remains of Crustacea and portions of minute shells. 

 Living birds were examined to observe any difference in colour of the soft parts. It was noted 

 that some had the faintest tinge of yellow to the inner part of the webs of their feet, while the 

 inner parts of the tarsi and feet, were pure lavender without the fleshy shade. Two Black 

 snakes were noted close to a burrow. While driving back in the afternoon we noticed a boy 

 riding on horse-back, carefully holding a galvanised iron bucket in front of him; with evident pride 

 he informed us it contained six dozen eggs he had collected that morning. We had observed 

 the same boy, who was a novice, on the 24th November, but he failed to obtain a single egg 

 that day. Residents of the island were unanimous that the bulk of the birds was later this 

 year, and also in 1910. A large trade is done, about the end of April, by collecting the young 

 birds, killing, splitting, opening and smoking them. Mr. Frank Dunne informs me that when 

 broiled they taste just like a red herring. 



I was informed that on the 26th November it was estimated there were over a thousand 

 persons at Cape Woolomai, mostly visitors from Melbourne, who had come by way of Wonthaggi 

 and San Remo, launches and boats conveying passengers to the cape until midnight at the back 

 beach. As at Rhyll, however, the main body of the birds did not come in on the night of the 

 27th November. Two young men were returning with eighty-fi\e dozen eggs, which they told me 

 they intended to preserve, the last eggs they collected in 1910 being eaten on the 23rd November, 



