104 



THE OOLOGIST 



raked the eggs out from under her, but 

 there she sat ready and waiting her 

 opportunity. 



On one occasion we dug out a couple 

 of these birds. They were probably 

 young, fully fledged, but up to the 

 moment still dependent on the rations 

 brought in daily by the parent. We 

 filled the burrow with grass so that 

 they could not get back into it again. 

 At first they were undecided what to 

 do and we got a snap or two. Then 

 they made a wild scramble for me 

 water, down a rocky slope, rolling and 

 tumbling to the water some 600 feet or 

 more away. 



At night th^y set up a weird melody, 

 an incessant wail, late into the night. 

 Their numbers are evident at once. 

 The calls of the home-comers and the 

 moaning sounds of the expectant ones 

 and the parleys at the nests reach 

 your ears from every side Some 

 seem far away, some near at hand 

 coming even from under the floor of 

 the very porch at the door of the 

 dwelling by the lighthouse. Individual- 

 ly these calls are not musical; but the 

 chorus of sounds, this combination of 

 the many varied tones is a delightful 

 sensation never to be forgotten. 



Only once have I heard a better 

 chorus. That was on an island in New 

 Zealand where the Prions nest literal- 

 ly in millions; but that is another 

 story and does not detract from the 

 naturalists's interest in what the Blue 

 Penguin can perform in the way of an 

 evening concert. 



In May, this year, I made my second 

 visit to Montague and obtained the pic- 

 ture of the birds at the burrow en- 

 trance. The season was too early, 

 however. Occupied nests there were 

 in plenty but no eggs. Whether it was 

 a moulting parent or young, reluctant 

 to begin the arduous life of fishermen, 

 or a case of merely holding possession 

 of a home or of making repairs I 



couldn't definitely determine. 



Surely tliis is one of nature's most 

 interesting birds. To see them just 

 after sunset, standing in groups above 

 their favorite landing places, resting 

 after the struggle with the rough water 

 in landing, preening their feathers and 

 drying themselves prior to their climb 

 along the dusty or rocky passages to 

 their nests, — this is as much a feast 

 to the eye as the later chorus is to the 

 ear. 



My thanks to the New South Wales 

 government for permission to go to 

 Montague Island and to Mr. Williams, 

 the Head Light House Keeper, for his 

 hospitality and many kindnesses. 



A GOOD SUGGESTION 



One of our subscribers suggests that 

 we publish a list of those having a 

 complete file of The Oologists. These 

 files are becoming more and more val- 

 uable every year and scarcer and 

 harder to acquire as time advances. 



Many of them are drifting into the 

 Libraries of the Universities and pub- 

 lic authorities with the result that 

 those can never be moved. If persons 

 having a complete file will forward 

 them to us with their names we will 

 be glad to publish the list after hav- 

 ing received sufficient names to justify 

 it. 



R. M. Barnes. 



A LETTER 



I have always valued The Oologist 

 for what it contained. I have a full 

 file (bound) and often have occasion 

 to refer to them. It is readable and 

 not ultra scientific, which appeals to 

 some of us common bird men. To my 

 mind the Life Histories of the Birds; 

 their economic value, their pleasing 

 ways, yes even their "vulgaT" English 

 names are much more interesting than 



