12 BIRDS OF KERGUELEN ISLAND. 



tipped one of these birds so that it fell into the water. It seemed 

 unusually alarmed, looking up into the air, crying out hoarsely with a 

 note unlike its usual call, and swimming very slowly for a web-footed 

 bird. Tlie great number of gulls which collected at once and began to 

 attack it explained its fright, and it seemed to suffer so greatly that I 

 fired into it again after a few minutes, and spoiled my specimen. It is 

 noteworthy that, whereas other sea-birds when wounded invariably swim 

 out to sea, this one endeavored to gain the land, i^laiuly looking in that 

 direction for safety, although I stood upon the shore, directly in its 

 way. 



Eggs were first found November 17, two in number, marked by irreg- 

 ular chocolate-colored blotches upon an olive-drab ground, and measuring 

 2.75-3.00 by 1.50 inches. The nest is a shallow cavity in the long grass 

 {Festuca), lined sparingly with grass-stems, and always in a dry spot. The 

 old birds make it very lively for the egg-hunter, attacking him on oppo- 

 site sides with great vigor and determination, and keeping up an outcry 

 that is really appalling. They are very skillful in leading one astray 

 from the locality of their nests, never going near it when any one is in 

 sight, so that it was a good while before I found the second nest, although 

 I had spent more time in this quest than in pursuit of any other single 

 object while on the island. Seeing a skua fly by the house one day 

 (December 7), apparently going somewhere in a great hurry, I therefore 

 snatched up a revolver (no gun being at hand) and followed him. He 

 was going to join the female on her nest, as I suspected, and when I 

 approached both attacked me as usual. I succeeded in killing the male, 

 but emptied the revolver at the female without success, and was kept 

 standing for certainly twenty minutes, pelting the enraged bird with 

 stones as she swooped down at my head, with the two eggs in plain 

 sight, but not daring to pick them up. A lucky throw finally disabled 

 her, and I secured the eggs, which were very much paler than those 

 gathered theretofore, and quite fresh. I suppose that this pair had been 

 so often disturbed by our near neighborhood that they were later than 

 usual in laying. 



It would seem that these birds pair once for all, since a single couple 

 holds possession of each meadow-district, allowing no intruders ; and 

 since two were almost always seen together during our stay. An odd 

 bird, whose mate had probably been shot, and which had a ragged 

 wing from some stray charge of small shot, used to circulate around 

 from district to district, being always attacked by both male and female 

 as soon as seen. On the 20th December, however, I saw seven near 



