^°i9i^'] BASSET HULL, Arclupehujo of the Recherche. 279 



the entrance to Albany Harbour. Here we found numerous 

 Little Penguins, in some cases sitting on eggs, in others with 

 young birds in varying stages of growth. Under one shelf of 

 rock a large groui) of adult birds was observed. Grant discovered 

 a number of small burrows, similar to those excavated by the 

 White- faced Storm- I'etrel, but uninhabited, and evidently aban- 

 doned for some months. The burrows were only from six to 

 eight inches in depth, the soil being hard and gravelly. There 

 was a nest-chamber and some traces of an old nest of broken-up 

 reeds, and spiders' webs were spun over some of the entrances. 

 This may be a deserted breeding-place of the White-faced Storm- 

 Petrel, occupied in the 1920 season, and abandoned for some 

 reason ; or else it may be that of another small Petrel which 

 breeds in May or June. No trace of Mutton P>irds was seen, 

 although one Albany resident informed me that he had taken a 

 case of their eggs from this island early in one December ! 



The weather was mostly cold, wet, and boisterous during our 

 stay at Albany, but we made several excursions into the coastal 

 scrubs. White-bearded and White- fronted Honey-eaters, and 

 Green-backed White-eye were noted, a solitary Collared Spar- 

 row-Hawk {Accipiter cirrhoccp/iahis) , and along the shore, some 

 Sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucus), and Pacific Gulls. 



We left Albany at 1.30 p.m. on November 23rd in the 500-ton 

 Government steamer Eitcla, a first-class little sea boat with a 

 good table, but indifferent cabin accommodation. Point Rich 

 was our first port, the steamer lying in the roadstead and taking 

 cargo oft' and on in the boats. Bremer Bay was reached at 4 a.m. 

 next morning, and on our way out I saw Glassy Island, said to 

 be inhabited by hundreds of Gulls and Mutton Birds. As there 

 are no locally owned boats, a visit to this island could only be 

 made by taking a vessel from Albany. It is quite a small islet, 

 rocky, steep at the sides, with a little vegetation on the top. 

 Landing would be extremely difficult, unless in exceptionally 

 fine weather. Doubtful Islands were passed at 8 a.m. They 

 consist of two large granite islands, the larger about half a mile 

 in length. A landing could be efi^ected on the larger island in 

 fine weather, and the ascent from the spot I examined through 

 my binoculars appeared comparatively easy, although the re- 

 mainder of the coastline was extremely steep. There is a quan- 

 tity of low scrub on the eastern side and over parts of the sum- 

 mit, which wruld offer good shelter ior Petrels. The only way 

 in which this group could be investigated would be by chartering 

 a boat from Albany to Bremer Bay, and working out from there 

 as the weather permitted — a distance of about twelve miles of 

 open sea. 



W^e arrived at Hopetoun, the i)ort of the Ravensthorpe Cop- 

 per Mines, at 1 p.m., and remained there five hours. The only 

 birds seen were the White-faced Ternlet and the Wliite-bearded 

 Honey-eater. After a rough night at sea, we reached Esperance 

 at 6 a.m. on the 25th. This is a verv old settlement. At one 



