Vol. VI 

 1907 



1 Campbell and Mattingley, Rookery of Storm-Pelrels. i8q 



labelled with a small piece of twine seven were still at home, 

 two had changed shifts, and one burrow was empty. ' This 

 corroborated somewhat our opinion that a small proportion only 

 of the birds belonging to the rookery come in each night. The 

 sitting bird must therefore be four or five days without food. 

 We felt we had only touched the fringe of these interesting 

 questions, and that a longer stay on the island was necessary for 

 their solution. But we had not the time to spare ; we must be 

 off. 



While returning to our boat we got a hint of the reason the 

 Petrels nest in burrows and not on the surface of the ground. 

 A large Harrier was beating up and down the rookery in search 

 of late birds, and in a clump of saltbush we disturbed another 

 Hawk from the remains of his early morning meal — a fat little 

 Petrel. 



Not long since a manure manufacturer leased Mud Island, 

 and proceeded to dig up and ship away the surface sand of these 

 Petrel rookeries, to utilise the bird remains and lime contained 

 therein. But, thanks to the vigilance of the authorities, at the 

 instigation of Mr. S. P. Townsend, this was stopped, and the 

 rookeries have now been reserved. In days to come it is to be 

 hoped that they will be looked upon as one of the curious and 

 rare sights adjacent to the first city in the Southern Hemis- 

 phere. — A. G. C. 



* * * 



P"urther visits to the Petrelry were undertaken on the i6th 

 and 17th February, and again on the 23rd and 24th February, 

 1907, to extend and make more complete our observations on 

 the breeding habits of " Mother Carey's Chickens." On the 

 former occasion so fierce was the gale that the fishermen in 

 their 6-ton craft were doubtful of starting. However, we reached 

 calmer water near the island in half an hour's time. After 

 wading knee-deep in mud, a landing on a sandy beach, covered 

 with many varieties of shells, was effected. What a vast 

 congregation of birds met the eye ! Driven in from their 

 feeding grounds on the vast areas of mud flats about the island, 

 which were now storm-swept, were thousands of Barred-rumped 

 Godwits, Little Stints, Lesser Golden Plover, and Sharp-tailed 

 Stints, whose combined flocks, when disturbed, simply darkened 

 the sky in one direction. A flock of about 250 Black Swan 

 were seen feeding on the plants, chiefly Halopliila, on the mud- 

 banks in the water. Ever and anon one would plunge its long, 

 graceful neck beneath the surface to pluck the grass -like growth 

 from the sea-floor. Regarding these graceful birds the Rev. 

 Robert Knopwood, H.M. ship Calcutta, and chaplain of the 

 convict settlement at Sorrento, 5 miles distant, under Lieut. 

 Collins, writes :—" Tuesday, nth October, 1803, wind S.S.E., 



