THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 143 



usual, and some fine photographs of them hovering over the nests 

 were secured. 



On regaining the summit of the island we descried the cutter 

 far to the leeward, and immediately hurried down to the cave to 

 strike the tent and pack up. Imagine our dismay when, on 

 going up to the look-out an hour later, the cutter had entirely 

 disappeared. Completely puzzled, we retraced our steps to the 

 cave, and it must be confessed, became rather anxious. The 

 next day passed without a sign of the boat, and things were 

 beginning to get serious. Our bread, brought from Queenscliff, 

 was some ten days old, and a trifle hard, our tinned provisions 

 had given out, and we had only a bag of flour to fall back upon. 

 Water, too, had to be doled out in allowances. However, all our 

 fears were dispelled on Saturday morning, ist December, for on 

 rising we were overjoyed to see the cutter close by. Everything is 

 ready by the time she has beaten in. Captain Mullins comes off in 

 the dingey, and one load is got off safely to the cutter. Our second 

 venture is not so successful. Just as everything is in and we were 

 pushing off, a heavy backwash left the bow of our boat stranded 

 on a hidden rock ; the next wave poured in astern and instantly 

 swamped her. One of us managed to scramble on to the rocks, 

 while the others hung on to the boat and succeeded in passing 

 the painter ashore. Had another big wave followed we would 

 undoubtedly have been dashed on the rocks ; fortunately, how- 

 ever, a lull occurred, enabling us to partly empty the dingey. 

 Captain Mullins, who throughout this trying experience had 

 displayed admirable coolness and courage, jumped in and baled 

 the water out with his hat. He then set to work to pick up the 

 luggage which had floated off in all directions. This was nearly 

 all secured, the most serious loss being the photographic plates 

 which had been exposed by Mr. Ashworth on the island. It 

 was impossible to recover these, as the cutter was drifting ashore. 

 Reluctantly leaving them, we got off to the cutter without 

 further accident, and after a rough passage across to the West 

 Hunter, we beat down to Shepherd's Bay, where we anchored for 

 the night. We now learned that the cutter, after we had sighted 

 it on the previous Thursday, had been carried right back by the 

 current, and only with difficulty fetched the Three Hummocks. 



On 2nd December we make an early start and run down to 

 Penguin Island, on which the Pelicans are known to breed. On 

 landing we find progression difficult, the ground being riddled 

 with Mutton Bird holes and covered with thick saltbush. On 

 reaching the eastern point of the island the Pelicans are sighted, 

 but have to be photographed from behind a rock some distance 

 off. On going closer the birds fly out to sea. The nests are 

 formed on the sandy soil of seaweed and twigs of saltbush lined 

 with grass, three feet or more in circumference, and with a con- 

 cavity fourteen inches in diameter and two to three inches deep. 



