1 66 Macgillivrav, Notes on Sea-Birds. [i^fTm 



Cape Town to Australia, many more birds were noted. The 

 weather throughout was also favourable to observation, and I 

 had made myself better acquainted with the birds likely to be 

 met with. 



I went on board the transport Borda, in the Royal Albert 

 Docks, on the evening of the gth May, 1919, with the advance 

 party, and left the Thames early next morning, arriving at 

 Plymouth about mid-day. A Spotted Flycatcher {Muscicapa 

 grisola) made itself at home on board, and had a free ride to 

 Plymouth, and found many flies on board to its liking ; it is much 

 like our " Jacky Winter " or Brown Flycatcher [Micrceca 

 fascinans). Two House vSwallows also perched for a time on the 

 rigging. In the harbour itself were numbers of Gulls, keenly on 

 the look-out, as usual, for any food thrown overboard, the Herring 

 Gull and Common Gull being the commonest species. 



Having taken all our troops on board, the ship left the harbour 

 on the I2th May. During the earlier part of the day no birds 

 w'ere visible ; then a large Petrel {Fubnarus glacialis) appeared, and 

 later quite a number followed in the wake of the vessel. Bill 

 w'hitish, head, neck, breast and all under surface white except 

 wing tip, which was black above and below ; tail and rump white, 

 back and upper surface of wings silverj^'-grey. A Common 

 Swallow came to the ship late in the afternoon, and remained 

 with it till dark. 



No more birds were noted till the 15th, when some Petrels, 

 medium-sized birds, dark grey on upper surface and lighter below, 

 were noticed at a distance accompanying a school of dolphins ; 

 they were too far off to identify. A Martin came on board, how- 

 ever, and remained for some time, also a yehowish land-bird which 

 looked like a Motacilla. At night on the same date I could see 

 some bird-forms crossing the lighted path made by the moon 

 on the sea ; probably these were Petrels, for many of them are 

 nocturnal in their wanderings. 



Early on the morning of the 17th May we passed the Canary 

 Islands. A few Terns, with reddish-brown upper surface and 

 white below, except the edges of the wings, which were dark, were 

 noted here. I also noted a Swift flying leisurely past the ship. 



On the 19th May, when on a level with Cape Verde, several 

 Storm-Petrels {Oceanites oceanicus) were noted. A Gannet, a 

 dark-plumaged bird, was also seen, probably an immature bird. 

 Three large Petrels, dark brown all over, with white markings 

 about the face, also passed us when the nearest land was the 

 Cape Verde Islands. On the following day one bird was noted — 

 a Petrel about the size of a Shearwater, of leisurely flight, dark 

 brown above and light underneath. 



No birds were seen during our passage through the tropics till 

 we reached lat. 14° 50' S., long. 8° 22' E., on the 29th May, when 

 one Prion was noted. On the 30th May, in lat. 26° i' S., long. 

 11° 41' E., numbers of Prions were about over the waves, and a 

 few Black-browed Mollymawks, one Gannet {Siila capensis), one 



