MORGAN— A Vrsit to the Baudin Rocks. 133 



Iwo s|K'ci('s. ( )ii -lulv (illi I <1i'\('1(»ikmI malaria, and took Utile 

 fui-ther iiiUMi'sl in nalnral hisToi-y- indeed, beycnid a imnibev 

 (tl' whales olT hii-k liaiioi: island, not nnuii ol' inter<'st \\as 

 se<Mi nnlll we landed al I'^renian I U' on dnlv !)(li. where I was 

 onlv loo Lilad lo ^el oil' ihe ship and iulo bed at oni- lu)lel in 

 IN'HJi. ; I 



A Trip to the Baudin Rocks. 



Ity A. M. Moi'-an, .M.i?., 15. Ch. 



The lUuuliii Ifoeks are silnaled abuiil six miles ironi Kobe 

 aud abom two miles Tiom the iioi-thwest end of (Tiiicheu Bay. 

 There are three islands^ one a bare roek and two partly covertMl 

 with a low scrnbby growth, [tartly o[)en ground with a carpet 

 of a short sami>hiiv like i»lant. The larger of these two is 

 divided into lhre<' jMnMions at high tide. Early in -January (d' 

 this year, through the kindiu'ss of .Mr. Keith IJownian, 1 was 

 abU^ to pay a \isit to these rocks. I wished [)arl iculai-ly to 

 see if any s|M'cies of Tetrel bi-ed there, but found none, nor do 

 1 think the soil isanywluu'e d(H'j) enough to allow of burrowiug. 

 As we cauK' u[» to a small beaeji ou the first island, a mnnber of 

 lllack-faced Corinoranls { I'lKihicrocord.r f/oiildi ) Hew from their 

 nests in the low buslies on a small (difl'. On binding we fouiul 

 about two do/,eii of theii- nests. n<'W, but mostly empty, one oul\ 

 cimtaining a full clutch of Ihi-t'c eggs. Later on we saw a 

 Sihcr (lull eating one of the eggs, which may accoimt for |h<' 

 empliiH'ss of the iw'sts. At one <'nd of the island is a larg<i 

 rook<'ry of ('r<'st<'(] Terns iSicnut hcr(/ii). made up (►!' many 

 thousands of bii-ds. The eggs were so close together that care 

 had to 'be taken to a\(»id treading ou tlnun. On two occasions 

 nests wer<' found containing two <'ggs each, so alike in marking 

 that [ think they were ]u-obably In id by one birc]. Under the 

 buslH's Liith' Pempiins wei-<' breiMling in hundreds, the nesi 

 cont<'nts \arying from lw(» fi'csh <'ggs to full grown young still 

 in the down. ()iie of these latter was cajUuri'd and ]»ut into 

 the watei'. It swam and di\('d as well as an old bird, though 

 this was |M'obably its first introduction t(y the sea. .\fler its 

 swim it mad<' up the rocks to its home as ninddy as its |iar<'nts 

 could have done. On the secoml islam! was another 



huge colony of Oiested Terns on (u\{' end. and al the other 

 three isolated eggs. j»r(diat)ly the start of a new cobuiy. On 

 this island were a inimbcu' of Xankeeu Night FTerous ( ^'//^^■'- 

 (■(ira.r cnJcdniiicHs \ . and I found ouv old ih'sI with a (k'ad young 

 bird in it. The nest was bnilt in the low bushes, nearly ou the 



