THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 35 



NOTES ON THE SWIMMING BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



By Robert Hall. 



(Read before Field Naturalists' Chib of Victoria, 13th Nov., 1893. J 



The birds of this order are variously organized. Some have 

 their wings undeveloped, and live almost entirely on the water; 

 others spend half their lifetime on the wing, and many more 

 nearly the whole of it ; by others much diving is indulged in, 

 whilst many both fly and dive well. 



Molluscs, insects, Crustacea, and fish form the food of all, with 

 one exception, i.e., the Columbidse, or Grebes, which diet chiefly 

 on vegetable matter. 



Throughout the order the feet are more or less fully webbed, 

 the legs placed far back on the body, and the tarsi compressed, 

 adapting them for swimming ; bill and wings varied, plumage 

 very thick and close, with a quantity of down next the skin, and 

 in some families impregnated with oil ; the hind toe being always 

 small, though occasionally absent. In the Colurnbidas the toes 

 are free, being bordered only by a wide web. 



The young mostly follow the parent as soon as hatched, being 

 termed autophagous, which includes the Anatidae, the Columbida?, 

 with portions of the Laridoe and of the Procellaridaj ; the 

 heterophagous — -i.e., the young requiring to be fed for a longer 

 or shorter period — being the Pelecanidre and the Spheniscidse. 



The toes of birds, by their principal variations, furnish the 

 primary characters whereby the whole class is divided into 

 orders, hence you will notice this order is represented with its 

 webbed toes ; other modifications of structure indicate for the 

 most part groups. They are more numerous (particularly the 

 marine species) in the colder seas than in the tropics. The 

 South Island of New Zealand is well favoured in this respect, 

 and merely as reference we could mention Great Britain as 

 tolerably cold with one-third of her list of marked British species 

 as swimmers. While taking a general view of the birds of this 

 order, our attention cannot but be attracted by some remarkable 

 contrasts which present themselves to our notice in excess of 

 some members and scarcity of others ; for instance, the Gulls are 

 represented by 5 species in Australia, 6 species in New Zealand, 

 9 on the East Asiatic coast, and 20 in Europe; the Terns by 17 in 

 Australia and 6 in New Zealand ; Petrels, 33 in New Zealand, 

 28 here, and 7 in Europe; Penguins, 3 with us, 12 in New 

 Zealand, in Europe unknown. 



In the order there are about 90 species represented, with 

 Anatidse, Ducks, &c, 20 species ; Laridse — Terns, &c, 23 ; Pro- 

 cellaridae — Petrels, &c, 28; Pelecanidas — Cormorants, &c, 13; 

 Phsetontidse — Tropic Birds, 2 ; Podicipidse — Grebes, 3 ; and 

 Spheniscidse — Penguins, 3. 



