^"'i i6^'] Hull, Avifauna of New Sovith Wales Islands. 209 



Pectoral Rail {HypoUenidia p/iilippeiisis). I saw two pairs of 

 birds, and flushed one l)ird Iruin a nest containing five eggs. If 

 the proposed harbour works are carried out at Coff's Harbour 

 this island will be connected to the mainland by a breakwater, 

 and the existing crowded rookery will inevitably disappear. 



We were unable to visit the Solitary Islands, as heavy weather 

 set in on the day following our visit to Coin's Islancl. North 

 Solitary is practically inaccessible, and landing on South Solitary 

 is only possible in the finest weather. 



On Oth December, 1914, I revisited some of the Five Islands 

 off Wollongong, N.S.W., our party including Messrs. Henry Grant 

 and S. E. Rohu. The weather was fine, and there was no wind 

 when we put out from Perkins Beach, near Port Kembla, in a heavy 

 fisherman's boat. We easily effected a landing on Pig Islancl, 

 and there found the Little Penguin {Eudyptula minor) with eggs, 

 fresh or in various stages of incubation, or young birds. Guthrie- 

 Smith says the eggs of the New Zealand species {Etidyptiila albo- 

 signata), when first laid, have a small patch of brightish green on 

 the larger end. An egg of this species in my collection, taken by 

 Tom Iredale near Lyttelton in 1905, evidently quite fresh when 

 taken, shows no green spot. Having Guthrie-Smith's statement 

 in mind, I carefully examined the fresh eggs of F. minor, but only 

 one specimen showed any green colour (not obviously acquired 

 after laying from contact with crushed leaves or excreta), and 

 this specimen still retains the green spot (1916). 



In addition to the Penguins, there were Wedge-tailed Petrels 

 {Puffimts sphemir-us, Gould) and White-faced Storm-Petrels 

 (Pelagodroma marina, Latham) in their burrows under the matted 

 Mesemhryanthemum, Convolvulus, and salt-bush. The former had 

 fresh eggs, and the latter in most instances young birds, although 

 a few burrows contained eggs heavily incubated. On my previous 

 visit (October, 1909*) the Storm-Petrels' burrows contained fresh 

 or sHghtly incubated eggs. 



We then made for the outermost island, and were able to 

 approach within a few yards of the shore. This island is very 

 small, not more than an acre in extent, shaped like a dish-cover, the 

 smooth rocks sloping gently down under the surge that even in the 

 finest weather sweeps all round it. It was simply covered with 

 Gulls {Larus novcB-hollandia, Stephens) and Terns {Sterna cristata, 

 Stephens), screaming at the approach of strangers and squabbling 

 amongst themselves. We were unable to land, however, having 

 no small dinghy to run up on the sloping rocks, and the fishing- 

 boat being too deep in the water, and heavy, to take closer in. 

 Perhaps it was just as well that we did not stay to make the 

 attempt, for shortly after shaping a course for Rabbit Island, 

 which lies close in shore, a strong breeze sprang up from the west, 

 and we had a strenuous hoiu" of ])ulling against it before we reached 

 a bay under the lee of the mainland. Here we landed, and found 



* Emu,vo\. xi., p. 100 (191 1). 



