THE IBIS. 



SEVENTH SERIES. 



No. XXI. JANUARY 1900. 



I. — Field-notes on the Birds of Kerguelen Island. 

 By Robert Hall (of Melbourne, Australia). 



Many of my readers are probably aware that Kerguelen, 

 also called the Island of Desolation, is situated in the South 

 Indian Ocean, on the 50th parallel of latitude, and nearly 

 equidistant from Africa and Australia. Lying within the 

 Antarctic drift-current, as well as being entirely destitute of 

 trees and shrubs, and mostly snow-clad, the avifauna of 

 Kerguelen is limited (with two exceptions) to Orders that are 

 able to exist without vegetable food. The two species which 

 occupy a somewhat anomalous position on the island are 

 the Duck and the Sheathbill, the latter being the only bird 

 in the list which is not web-footed. 



I took advantage of a summer expedition made in the 

 sealing-brig ' Edward,^ by the invitation of Mr. Hans 

 Gundersen, and accompanied those who were engaged in 

 commercial enterprise, in order to do what I could towards 

 an increase of knowledge of the fauna and flora of this 

 island, the largest uninhabited area at a distance from any 

 continent. 



Capt. Cook commenced the work here in 1776, and Sir 

 James Ross continued it in 1840. In 1874 expeditions 

 to watch the ''Transit of Venus ^' were sent to Kerguelen 

 by Great Britain, Germany, and the United States, and the 



SER. VII. VOL. VI. a 



