""^r-] ^i'<^y leathers I95 



till' hi;;- l)ays and wide, open arms of the sea possess no cliarni 

 lor them : they prefer hackwaters of rivers, hidden nooks of hakes, 

 and the lonely, silent lagoons. The spi^ries is unusually shy and 

 somewhat difficult to approach. The slightest indication of 

 human presence alarms and causes them to leave quickly for less- 

 frequented waters. So far as I am aware, the nests and eggs of 

 P. snlcirostris have never been fomid in Tasmania : but, in all 

 probability, their breeding places are the swamps and marshes in 

 the Lake district, or on river reaches far inland. 



The Little Rlack-and-White Cormorant {P. iiwlaitolciiciis) is 

 very thinly distributed over the island, and is not often seen. 

 Although occasionally noticed on inland waters, its favourite 

 haunts are tidal rivers, sheltered bays, and the shallow lagoons of 

 the sea. In such situations the birds may be observed dili- 

 gently searching for food, which consists of fish, Crustacea, and 

 other small forms of animal life. The habits of this species 

 differ from those of others of its genus, insomuch as, during the day, 

 it leads a somewhat solitary existence, preferring to hunt alone, 

 after which it may often retire to some favourite perch on a post 

 or dead branch, where, motionless, it sits digesting its meal. In 

 the evening it returns to the society of its fellows, roosting with 

 them in the low trees fringing the shore. In the various armlets 

 of Recherche Bay I have frequently seen these birds, and also 

 in the big salt-water lagoons at Southport, where, I beheve, they 

 breed in company with P. carho on the tea-tree bushes and small 

 trees on one of the islands. 



The Black Cormorant, or Shag (P. carho), is perhaps more 

 widely distributed than any of the other species, for not only does 

 it inhabit the islands adjacent to the coasts, estuaries, and inlets, 

 but also frequents many of our rivers and lakes, where it is found 

 throughout the year, and is supposed to breed. Few instances 

 are known of its nest and eggs being found in Tasmania, although 

 it is recorded that on some of the islands of Bass Strait small 

 colonies have their rookeries. Eggs have been taken at the head 

 of the -Derwent River, and on the low-lying, scrub-belted islands 

 in the lagoons near Recherche Bay nests and eggs have been 

 observed. I am confident that the nesting haunts of these birds 

 will be found at the lakes far inland, where birds in immature 

 plumage have frequentlv been seen. — A. W. Swindells. Hobart 

 (Tas.) 



Birds Destroyed by Storms.— Two walks which 1 took along 

 the beach north of Fremantle on 7th and 8th August, IQ15, 

 indicated that the stormy weather which had prevailed fairly 

 continuously for several weeks past had resulted in the destruction 

 of a number of birds. I found the remains of a Pied Cormorant 

 [Phalacrocorax variits, Gmel.), a Yellow-nosed Albatross {Diomedea 

 chlororhyncha, Gmel.), and three Prions of two different species. 

 On 14th August, after more stormy weather, during which all 



