Vol. X\ .1 <,^^y^sl^^■^.^.\.s, Rookeru's of /he Wliite-breasted Cormorant. ^i 



1915 J ^^ 



kept. Possibly they were caught in strong unrlercurrents and 

 whirled round the promontory out of sight. 



High up the cliffs, in a sheltered fissure of the bold mass of organ- 

 pipe construction, and close to several Cormorants' nests, a pair 

 of Silver Gulls had nested. The agitated cries and actions of the 

 birds attracted our attention, and led to the discovery of the 

 objects of their solicitude — Iwo nearly fledged young. We 

 wondered what had induced the (iulls to dei)art from the usual 

 gregarious habits of the species. 



Hours could profitably have been spent at this rookery, but we 

 were anxious to explore others, and were compelled to hurry 

 away. Regaining the summit of the cliff, we proceeded to a 

 second rookery. Unlike their neighbours, who, from a safe 

 vantage, had regarded with apathy our adventures amongst their 

 young, the birds here viewed the invasion of their domain with 

 evident consternation, and, although much alarmed, remained by 

 their nests until actually driven away. The solicitude evinced 

 for their helpless nestlings by the Cormorants won our admiration, 

 and prompted us to leave them undisturbed. At the same time, 

 we could not help reflecting that our forbearance would hardly 

 gain the approval of fishermen. Erroneous ideas prevail regarding 

 the supposed depredations of these birds on the fish, and the 

 depletion of a stream or fishing bank is usually attributed to the 

 rapacity of Cormorants ; allowance is seldom made for the 

 number of fishes taken by rod and net. Consequently, Cormorants 

 are regarded as pests by the majority of people, and meet with 

 merciless persecution. My sympathy is with the birds. 



Searching along the cliffs, we found two more rookeries, but, 

 as an inspection from above showed that the nests in each case 

 were tenanted by young, no descent was made. Farther along 

 we came to a deep gorge, with abrupt sides and straight walls of 

 rock, from which water was slowly oozing. Our presence dis- 

 turbed a Black-cheeked Falcon {Falco melanogenys), which rose 

 excitedly, and soared in sweeping circles, uttering its shrill cry 

 of alarm. Finally, it alighted on the dead branch of a starved old 

 gum-tree growing on the edge of the precipice, and watched us. 

 Far down in some sheltered niche it had its nest, but the place 

 was too perilous to explore. Near the brink of the cliff a small 

 colony of Silver Gulls was nesting among the scant, withered 

 tufts of herbage. The nests were mere apologies of grass loosely 

 placed in little hollows, and contained either two eggs or the full 

 complement of three. 



Our quest for Cormorants' eggs appeared likely to end in 

 failure, as rookery after rookery was searched with the same 

 disappointing result. Nor was this to be wondered at, con- 

 sidering the lateness of the season. At last, however, luck 

 favoured us. In an angle of the cliff, far down on a craggy spur, 

 we espied three nests on which the birds were brooding. A few- 

 stones thrown down frightened the birds off, and we rejoiced to 

 see that the nests contained eggs. We determined to try to 



