Vol. II. 

 1902 



J Stray Feathers. I O 7 



Mr. Abjornson, Sub-Inspector of Fisheries for the Swan River, 

 to accompany him in a cruise round the schnapper spawning 

 grounds in Safety Bay, about 15 miles south of Fremantle — an 

 offer which was gladly accepted, especially as he said some of 

 the islands were frequented by many birds. 



The 15th found us standing out to Garden Island in a 19-foot 

 half-deck fishing boat. This island, about nine miles by one in 

 extent, is mostly covered with dense scrub, quite impossible to 

 penetrate in most places. The only living things appear to be 

 wallabies, lizards, and carpet snakes ; no birds were noted. The 

 second place reached, Penguin Island, was about an acre in 

 extent. A large Osprey's nest was seen on the top of a small 

 hummock, which had, according to my host, been used for many 

 years, and, indeed, looked like it, since it was over 4 feet high 

 and about 6 wide at the base ; it had the usual composition of 

 sticks, lined with sea-weed, grass, and wool, and contained two 

 fully fledged young birds, which were forthwith captured, and, on 

 our return, deposited in the Perth Zoological Gardens. Several 

 Little Penguins were seen ; some were nesting under ledges 

 of rock. A Nankeen Heron flew away, and was eagerly chased 

 by a Kestrel, which evidently had a nest near. A pair 

 of dark green Honey-eaters was busily engaged in feeding 

 their young. Sailing hence we came to two small adjoining 

 islands, which were covered with Cormorants' old nests 

 (evidently the Pied, since several of these birds were seen fishing 

 close by), built of coarse grass and sea-weed. They were placed 

 in groups of 20 to 50 on the bare rock. Within a hundred yards 

 was another island, over which some hundred or so Silver Gulls 

 {Larus novce-JiollandicB) hovered, but we could not find any eggs 

 or young birds, only some old Cormorant nests, but probably 

 the Gulls were nesting under some cliff or in a cave, with which 

 these islands abound. We then made for the far side of the bay, 

 where, separated by a narrow channel from the mainland, was a 

 low sandbank, about an acre in extent, over which were flying 

 in a state of great agitation some two hundred Little Terns 

 {Sterna nereis), which kept up a continuous din with their short 

 piping cry. On the seaward side of the bank was a number of 

 their eggs, laid in very slight circular depressions in the sand 

 about 4 inches in diameter. The clutch was two, but in a 

 great number of cases only one seemed to hatch, for many nests 

 were found with an addled egg and the remaining shell of the 

 one which had produced a chicken. No young birds except the 

 very smallest chicks were at first discernible, but upon walking 

 round a bank of sea-weed, just above high water mark, many 

 were found, but so perfectly did their feathers (cream, with 

 longitudinal chestnut markings) harmonize with the sand and 

 rubbish that it was difficult to detect them. The little birds, 

 too, knew quite well where their protection lay, for, with head 

 and neck out straight, they lay like stones. 



