172 BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 



number of birds seen in the neighbourhood in January one might 

 well be led to think that the eggs and young oi these t\\o birds 

 may at some future date be found there." 



Those who have had opportunities of seeing this handsome 

 Petrel in any number in the southern seas state that it flies higher 

 and rests more frequently than the smaller species. 



* SPECTACLED PETIIEL 



[Majaqucus cequinoctialis, Linu.) 



Male. — Upper surface sooty-brown; tail and quills nearly 

 black; under surface, except the chin, which is white, a shade 

 paler than upper surface. Dimensions in mm. : — Length, about 

 5(^0; bill, 52; wing, 365; tail, 115; tarsus, 5^). 



As Dr. Du Cane Godman points out (" Monograph of the 

 Petrels," pp. 171, 172), there is some difference in the markings 

 of Australian specimens of this species and those from more 

 northerly latitudes. In some birds there is a band of white (vary- 

 ing in width) across the crown, and in others the cheeks are white, 

 and this white extends nearly right round the occiput; this band is 

 in addition to the one on the crown of the head. The white on the 

 chin is also variable in extent. 



Feviale. — Similar to the male. Dr. Godman remarks that the 

 female procured in Tasmanian waters examined by him had no 

 white on the cheeks. 



Nest. — A burrow on the sloping sides of a hill. According to 

 the Eev. A. E. Eaton, the nesting chamber is spherical in shape 

 and rather large ; the nest itself is composed of mud and pieces of 

 plants arranged in the form of an inverted saucer, 3 or 4 inches 

 high, slightly hollowed out on the top, a space being left between 

 its base and the sides of the chamber. 



Eggs. — Clutch one; elongated oval in shape; texture coarse; 

 surface slightly glossy; colour pure white. Dimensions in mm. : — - 

 86 X 52. 



Breeding Season. — November to January. 

 Geographical Distribution. — Seas of Tasmania, New South 

 Wales, Southern Ocean in general, and north to off the southern 

 coast of South Africa. 



Observations. — Seldom does this species come into purely 

 Tasmanian waters, but it is ver^^ plentiful almost everywhere in 

 the South Atlantic. " The wings in flight have a very angular 

 look. The bird is of a quaiTelsome disposition, fighting greedily 

 for scraps, and displaying the most imgainly spread of feet and 

 straddled legs as it splashed with its rivals into the water" (E. 

 A. Wilson). The Rev. A. E. Eaton, who accomjjanied the Transit 

 of Venus Expedition to Kerguelen Island, states, inter alia : — " In 

 Kerguelen Island a hole similar to a deserted rabbits' earth, 

 excavated in wet ground, with water standing (in early summer) 



