202 Shufeldt, Study of Birds' Eggs. [ist^'jan 



very small white eggs with a definite band around the middle of 

 each. They are odd. It is a set from the Restless Flycatcher 

 {Sisura inquieta). There are a great many other eggs of 

 Australian birds in sight in these beautifully arranged trays. 



[Dr. Schufeldt's article was accompanied by twelve finely 

 executed photographs. Unfortunately, want of space prevents the 

 reproduction of more than three plates, which depict the eggs 

 more or less slightly under natural size.— Eds.] 



Avifauna of New South Wales Islands. 



By a. F. Basset Hull, R.A.O.U., Sydney. 



Part II. 



In my article on the Montague Island Gullery {Emu, vol. viii., 

 p. 80) I mentioned that the Little Penguin {Eudyptula minor) was 

 reported as breeding on the Tollgate Islets, off Bateman's Bay, 

 about 40 miles north of Montague Island. To verify this report, 

 and to see what other birds bred on these islets. I visited them 

 in September, 1911. 



Accompanied by Mr. Henry Grant (Australian Museum) and 

 Mr. H. Hamilton (Dominion Museum, N.Z.), I left Sydney at 

 8.30 a.m. on the 28th September, by the Illawarra train, reaching 

 Nowra at mid-day. From thence we journeyed 80 miles by motor 

 to Bateman's Bay, reaching that port at 10 p.m., after several 

 delays en route. In the early morning we set out in Bennett's 

 fishing launch, crossed the bar, and passed Schnapper Island, 

 with the curious natural tunnel running right through it. The 

 Tollgates were reached about 8.30 a.m., and, the sea being com- 

 paratively smooth, we experienced no difficulty in landing on the 

 shingly beach of the southern islet. There are two islets, 

 separated by a narrow strait. Each islet presents an almost 

 sheer rocky face to the sea, and slopes rather abruptly to the 

 landward side, where a beach renders landing easy in calm 

 weather. 



Having pulled up our dinghy, we found that the spit connecting 

 the main islet with a pinnacle rock was covered with tussocks, 

 Atriplex shrubs, and vines. Under this growth the Penguins were 

 very much in evidence, numerous burrows being tenanted by 

 adults sitting on eggs or young birds in all stages of growth — 

 from the just-hatched to the nearly full-grown birds having only 

 a little down adhering to the neck and head. In each nest ex- 

 amined the full complement of eggs or chicks was two. In one 

 case a patient bird was sitting on two eggs covered with a thick 

 black coating, the accumulation, apparently, of many weeks' 

 handling (or, rather, footing). Both eggs were rotten, but the 

 sitting bird was extremely loth to part with them. Under the 

 pinnacle rock there was a cave, and in two crevices Penguins 

 were established. Judging from the development of some of the 



