2o6 Hull, Avifauna of New South Wales Islands. [,st^"jan. 



earlier. I think that my observations, and the information given 

 me by rehable correspondents, point to the conclusion that this 

 species is engaged in breeding practically all the year round. 



Young birds of this species are evidently identical with the bird 

 described by Gould as E. undina. 



One calm evening I watched the Penguins coming home to 

 their expectant families. Standing on the granite rocks near the 

 boat harbour, and looking over towards the mainland, I could 

 see numerous patches of broken water, darkened as if by a passing 

 squall or a shoal of fish. These patches moved steadily in the 

 direction of the island, and as they came closer I could see the 

 black heads of the Penguins and hear their barking cries. They 

 made for several different landing-places, but the one immediately 

 below me was a favourite spot. As each group of perhaps twenty 

 to thirty birds reached the rocks they waited, " back-pedalling," 

 until the surge ran up a sloping rock, when they shot forward, 

 rolling over and over in the white foam like currants in flour, and 

 as the surge receded they were left clutching the rock or running 

 forward to get clear of the next oncoming wave. Once out of 

 reach of the water, they gravely slx)ok themselves, and chatted in 

 a rippling undertone to each other, huddling together until about 

 a hundred birds had collected on the rock. Then, amidst a chorus 

 of vibratory cries, they started up the slope, following a well- 

 defined track until they reached the rushes and tussocks, where 

 they branched off along smaller tracks to their respective nests. 

 All night long (I slept out of doors) I heard their cries of welcome 

 and endearment, mingled with unmistakable cries of anger and 

 annoyance, resounding from the thick vegetation below the light- 

 house quarters. 



Puffinus sphenurus. — Previous to this visit I had not heard of 

 any Petrel breeding on Montague Island, but on this occasion I 

 found indications of burrows being driven in some black sand on 

 the north island, and, after digging out one burrow, I discovered 

 a pair of the Wedge-tailed Shearwaters preparing for the laying. 

 This formed another farther south record, 40 miles from the 

 previous record, the Tollgates. This is probably a new site for 

 this species, as it certainly did not breed there in 1907, and 

 the burrows I found were all apparently new ones, no sign of a 

 previous year's occupation being visible. 



This Shearwater is very plentiful on the New South Wales 

 coast, and I have now authentic records of its breeding on the 

 following islands :— Montague, Tollgates, Five Islands, Bird 

 Island, Big Cabbage Tree. Broughton, Solitary, Coff's, Capricorns, 

 and Raine Islands. This embraces nearly the whole eastern 

 coast of Australia. I anticipate finding it still farther south, and 

 it will be interesting to discover the point where P. teniiirostris 

 meets P. sphenurus. 



During my stay at Montague Island I saw vast flocks of this 

 Shearwater feeding in company with the Gulls on the shoals of 

 small fish or on " brit," and one morning, just after daylight, as 



