SOME ACCOUNT OF THE MUTTON BIRDS, OR 

 SOOTY PETRELS (NECTBIS BBEVICAUDUS), 

 AS SEEN IN THEIR HOMES AMONG THE 

 FURNEAUX ISLANDS, BASS STRAITS, TAS- 

 MANIA, FROM NOTES TAKEN DURING A 

 VISIT TO THE LOCALITY IN MARCH, 1891. 

 By H. H. Montgomery, D.D., Bishop of Tasmania. 



My duties called nie last March to undertake a trip to the 

 Furneaux Islands. Before I started I was aware that one 

 of the most interesting subjects for an ornithologist in that 

 part of the colony would be the habits of the mutton bird. 

 But the reality so far surpassed my expectations that I have 

 ventured to lay before the Society some results of my obser- 

 vations. Mr. J. B. Walker has shown me allusions to the 

 subject in old books of travel. Mr. Barnard has been good 

 enough to furnish me with the second volume of the Tas- 

 manian Journal, in which a short but excellent account is 

 given of the habits of the sooty petrel, or mutton bird, by 

 Mr. R. H. Davies. As the paper was written 45 years 

 ago it may be worth while putting on record what I now 

 propose to lay before you. These petrels choose islands where 

 the soil is composed of a loose sand, covered in places by a 

 bush with a blue flower called " barilla," where they congre- 

 gate for the purpose of digging the holes in which they lay their 

 eggs. I have heard of a rookery in Port Davey : and among 

 the Hunters Islands they breed on Trefoil, Sheephead, 

 Doughboys, and the Petrels. On the northern coast there 

 used to be large numbers on Waterhouse Island, until the 

 pigs kept by Mr. Barrett found them out, and destroyed 

 such vast quantities that the birds deserted the place, 

 and now there are just a few which are carefully preserved. 

 In the Furneaux group they used to breed in much greater 

 numbers than at present, and I venture to hope that the 

 chief effect of this paper may be a timely movement by the 

 Government to save from almost utter destruction an in- 

 dustry which adds distinctly to the wealth of the colony, 

 and supplies a healthy article of food. At present the most 

 important homes of these birds in the breeding season are 

 Chappell Island (called usually "Hummocky," because of 

 the hill in the centre), Little* Dog and Big Dog Island, 

 Green Island and Little Green Island, and Babel 

 Island. These places are nothing more than low 

 sandy spots, from 300 to 1,200 acres in extent, with hardly 

 a tree (except on Big Dog Island), and covered with long 



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