Chapman. — On the Idand's iouth of Neic Zealand, oil 



nesting. Few billing. Eggs plentiful ; incubation just com- 

 menced. Few nest-building. Lat. 51°. 



Campbell Island, 5th December. — White birds ; very large. 

 Nest-building ; billing and laWng all finished ; chicks in all 

 eggs. Lat. 52° 33'. 



Chatham Islands, earlier. — Colours not ascertained, but 

 said to be dark. Lat. 4i°. 



A few birds were captmed here, and taken back for 

 museums. The process was simple and humihating. The 

 noble creatm-e was tied by the beak to prevent it fiom biting ; 

 a bit made of wood was put into its mouth to allow it to 

 breathe ; it was trussed — i'.c., its wings tied up, and its feet too. 

 Two were thus tied up a.nd slung over the man's shoulders, so 

 that a bird went under each arm, and so were held and carried. 

 I did not carry any ; and a companion who trudged down the 

 mountain with a bh'd of 161b. weight under each arm and a 

 candle-box of eggs on his back, assured me that when his 

 birds fought each other both with beaks and feet it was not a 

 job to be courted. The fighting seemed to me to be incessant ; 

 it was going on whenever I chanced to look that way. Now 

 and then at a critical moment, when there was a struggle 

 with a tussock, it fahdy disturbed the bearer's balance. The 

 day was a glorious one, and the sights were most interesting, 

 though, if albatroses sorrow for their eggs, somewhat cruel. 

 On the top of the range were ground-larks, as usual ; snipe, 

 too, rose at our feet, and scattered hastU}' as if from a nest. 

 These pretty little creatures are numerous, and would certainly 

 be exterminated if much distm-bed. As we descended in the 

 evening I thought I heard the weka (Ocydromus austraUs). I 

 do not know whether it was indigenous, but it was taken over 

 from Stewart Island after the wreck of the '' General Grant " 

 or " Grafton " to add a little to the food-supply of the island ; 

 but these were liberated on the main island, and are not hkely 

 to have spread much. Mr. Travers thought he heard the kiwi 

 {Apteryx sp.), which has never been reported fi-om the group. 

 If there it would probably prove a new species. That evening 

 we sailed for Campbell Island, having again the good forttme 

 to have a fair wind. Captain Fairoliild had never before known 

 a calm night in the Auckland Islands. We had enjoyed tln-ee 

 a« fine as could be wished for, with days to match. 



Y. Campbell Island. 

 We now spent a night at sea, and early in the morning saw 

 a high island in our course. We came up to it, and found its 

 appearance almost like a series of pyramids and towers rising 

 from the sea. The coast is bold, and about it are studded some 

 noble islets rising sheer out of the water, composed everywhere 

 of columnar- basalt. Inland are several j)eaked mountains 



