Cheesemax. — On Birds of the Kermadcc Ishvula. 225 



so'iiii. Mr. Bell informs me that it is by no meaus common. 

 It arrives about the end of September, and remains until 

 the end of June, being one of the last petrels to leave 

 the island. It is solitary in its habits, and very seldom can 

 two nests be found in the same locality. Its breeding-place is 

 usually near the mountain-top, in some dark gully filled with 

 palms and fern-trees, and generally its burrow is made at the 

 roots of the latter. It is purely nocturnal in its habits, and 

 rarely leaves its bmTow during the daytime. An egg sent to 

 me by Mr. Bell measured 2-5in. in length by lOin. in breadth, 

 and is pure-white in colour. 



33. Keemadec i\IuTT0K-BiRD {CEstvelata mollis, Gould). 

 This species, which Sir W. L. Buller informs me is the same 



as CE. ■mollis, is the '•' mutton-bird" of the Kermadec settlers, 

 also sometimes called "piakoia" in imitation of its cry. It 

 arrives in immense numbers at the end of August or early in 

 September, and breeds all over the island, but most abundantly 

 towards the tops of the hills. Unlike most of the other petrels, 

 it makes no burrow, but lays its single egg in a hollow at 

 the root of a tree, or even anywhere on the bare gi-ound. 

 During the middle of the breeding-season they are present 

 in extraordinary numbers, many parts of the island being 

 converted into vast breeding-gi-ounds. The young birds 

 are used for food, being taken just when they commence 

 to lose their down. They are salted and smoked, or pickled 

 in brine. During the spring of 18S9 the settlers on Sunday 

 Island, including the Bell family and those occupying Denham 

 Bay, collected and preserved for winter use over twelve thou- 

 sand of these birds. 



34. WixTEK Mdttox-bird {CEstrelata sp.). 



Mr. Bell distinguishes between tliis bird and the preceding 

 one. According to him, the winter mutton-bird breeds only 

 on Meyer Island and other outlying rocks — never on the 

 main island ; and its breeding-season is during the winter 

 months, the young birds being nearly ready to depart when 

 the true mutton-bird arrives. I find but little difference 

 between the tvro species, save that this has a more distinct 

 dark band across the breast. At the time of my -s-isit (August, 

 L8S7) the slopes of Meyer Island were crowded with nearly 

 full-grown fledglings, sitting at the roots of the trees. At our 

 approach they uttered hoarse cries, and endeavoured to escape 

 by rolling down the hill, the old birds circling about among the 

 trees above our heads. 



35. G5]STKELATA NEGLECTA, Schl. (?) 



This petrel is assigned to the Kermadec Islands in the late 

 Mr. G. R. Gray's hand-list of bii'ds. I mention it here because 

 15 



