THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 169 



at two a.m. we still saw an odd bird or two, but I have an idea 

 that these were birds too timid to enter their burrows, alongside 

 which we were rolled up in our rugs. Being curious to know 

 what the young petrels were fed on, we captured a bird just as it 

 was entering a burrow, killed it, and took from its throat a pasty 

 substance which looked and smelt not unlike the bloater paste 

 of commerce. We also took a young bird from a burrow, and 

 found its stomach abnormally extended with this substance, the 

 only solid portion of which we identified as being part of a small 

 shrimp. When the birds alight at the burrows they commence 

 to scratch exactly like the Mutton-bird does. Query : Does the 

 Mutton-bird only come in for a few minutes every night to feed 

 the young, and then off' to sea? We also ascertained that the 

 Storm Petrel, unlike the Mutton-bird, can rise readily from the 

 ground, its long legs accounting for this, the only impetus 

 necessary being a hurried step or two with wings outstretched. 



A fisherman lately brought me a Storm Petrel that he had 

 found in his boat at the Mornington pier. This bird must have 

 missed the island during the night, and they seem to have a habit 

 of hiding themselves in the daytime, as I kept it in a room, and 

 it would burrow into the curtain in the day, but at night became 

 quite lively. I took it down on the rocks at night to let it go, 

 but its wings were probably too stiff" to fly, although it would 

 stand with wings outstretched and quivering 



There were three boats taking away soil at the time of our 

 visit to Mud Island. The men stated that they paid a license 

 of ;^io each for three years — a trifling recompense for the loss 

 of the breeding ground of such an interesting ocean wanderer as 

 the Storm Petrel. We roughly estimated that about five 

 thousand pairs of birds nested on the island. 



Coming home in the boat to Mornington we sailed by a flock 

 of about three hundred Mutton-birds. This is the first time I 

 have seen these birds in Port Phillip. 



There were several Harriers flying about the island, and 

 they, no doubt, kill a number of young petrels. I disturbed 

 one in the act of devouring a bird, and found the remains of 

 several freshly killed. The hawks seemed to hover about the 

 rookeries, watching a chance to seize any young bird foolish 

 enough to come to the mouth of the burrow. 



I identified the following species of birds on or around the 

 island : — 



Gould's Harrier ... ... Circus gouldi 



Grass-bird ... ... Megalurus gramineus 



White-fronted Chat ... Ephthianura albifrons 



Meadow Pipit ... ... Anthus australis 



Turnstone ... ... Arenaria interpres 



