10 MUTTON BIRDS 



Chapter II. 



HEREKOPERE. 



)LL Mutton Birds, I was told, lay on 

 November 25tli, and such as cannot 

 reach the land at that date drop their 

 eggs during flight, or whilst at rest 

 on the water. 

 Statements so remarkable, and repeated on 

 all hands, certainly whetted my desire to know 

 more of these members of the Petrel tribe ; and 

 at once these too confident assertions proved to 

 be erroneous. 



During January, February, and part of 

 March I had many opportunities of visiting the 

 breeding quarters of these and other Petrels 

 both on Stewart Island itself, and on adjacent 

 islets and rocks. Later in the same year, during 

 part of September, the whole of October, and 

 November, and part of December, I was 

 again in these southern latitudes. Thrice 

 also on two of the small wind-swept islets that 

 lie south of Foveaux Strait and east of Stewart 

 Island, camps were established foi* intervals of 

 varying duration. 



These, mv credentials, I know, are scanty and 

 sparse, and my remai'ks as impertinent to the 

 Petrels, as to the inhabitants of a continent is 



