332 Pll ALACROCOKACI l>,K 



bare place round their nestini; colony. To the seaward sulf, and in hare places in the nestin^^ 

 colony where there was no salt-lmsh for them to build on, were nasis of Phalacyocovax sflctocephaliis 

 on the ground, formed with seaweed lined with fmer weed, moderately deep and cosy. This 

 bird is much more shy than P. uariits, and much fewer in number." 



From Black-wood, South Australia, Mr. Kdwm Ashhy sends me the followinj; note; - 

 " Pkalacrocoiitx liyptilencn^ breeds in large numbers on what is known as the 'Spit,' near Kingscote, 

 Kangaroo Island, South .Vustralia. I have seen the eggs m numbers in March. The nests are 

 masses of rubbish piled on low shrubs one foot high, locally known as saltbush. This is, I 

 think, the commonest species of all this genus on the sea coast round South Australia." 



Writing from Port .Augusta, South .\ustralia, on the nth August, 1901, Dr. \. Chenery 

 remarks : — " During a trip down Spencer's Gulf last May, 1 found a breeding place of PhalaLio- 

 corax hypolctiius. They build in the mangroves in colonies, and nests may he seen by the dozen 

 in small areas of about an acre in e.xtent." 



With two eggs received in e.xchange by the Trustees of the Australian Museum from Mr. 

 W. J. Mellor, the following note was received: -"These eggs were taken on the 24th May, 1875, 

 by the kite Mr. Samuel White, who died in Sydney some years ago. The notes in his hand- 

 writing are as follows : " (Jn a sand-spit in the Bay of Shoals, at Kingscote, Kangaroo Island. 

 The place is grown over with bushes and the birds were in thousands, although the breeding 

 season was nearly over, there being only a!)Out lorty nests with eggs, but the young birds covered 

 an acre of ground as thick as they could stand. Their nests as usual were made of a few sticks 

 placed close together on the bushes that had lieen trodden dmvn. I tool< ab-nit twenty eggs, tlie 

 clutches being from two to four eggs." 



Writing on the Bird Life of Adele Island, North-western .\ustralia, in "'The l[>is,"* Mr. 

 James Walker, R.X. of TI.M. Surveying Ship " Penguin," remarks :— " .Among someS/Ai bushes 

 not far from the centre of the island was a breeding colony of Black and White Cormorants, 

 Fhalacrocoia.x van'iis (Gmelin). The nests were rudely constructed ot small twigs, and were built 

 on the bouyhs of the SiJu, about three feet from the '_;round. liacli ( ontained. in a very sli^_;htly 

 depressed hollow, three long oval egj,'s of a pale bluish-green colour, with a very thick and 

 rough chalky coating. Numerous dead fish, some of quite large size, were strewn about here, 

 and the aroma of the whole place was decidedly more pungent than agreeable. The birds 

 themselves were somewhat shy, and did not admit of a \ery near approach before talving wing. ' 



The eggs are usually two or three in number for a sitting, elongate-oval in form, of a 

 uniform pale bluish-white, which is more or less obscured by a coating of lime. 'Two eggs in 

 the Australian Museum Collection, taken by the late Mr. Samuel White, measure :--Length 

 (A) 2-27 X rj7 inches; (B) 2'25 x 1-52 inches. Mr. Otto Lipfert, a collector of the Perth 

 Museum, Western Australia, found this species breeding on Middle Island, and on a reef lutting 

 out from Ivat Island, Houtman's .Vbrolhos, Western Australia, on the 7th No\ember, 1894. -^ 

 set of three in the Australian Museum Collection, received in exchange from the Perth Museum, 

 measures as follows : — Length (.\) 2-},2 x 1-51) inches; (B) 2-27 x 1-48 inches; (C) 2-47 x 1-55 

 inches. A set of two talcen by Mr. W. White in |uly, i.S^^, on a small island in Nepean TSay, 

 on the eastern side of Kangaroo Island, South .Vustralia, lueasures : — Length (A) 2-24 x r47 

 inches; (B)2-27 x r48 inches. .\ set of two taken in the same locality measures :- -Length 

 (A) 2'37 < I'ji inches; (B) 2-31 x 1-46 inches. 



.Vpparently there are two breeding seasons in the yeat, the late Mr. S. White taking eggs 

 on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, in May, Mr. W. White in |uly, October and November, 

 and Mr. J. H. Mellor in January. In Western .Australia Mr. O. Lipfert took eggs on Middle 

 and Rat Islands, Houtman's Abrolhos, in November, Mr. 'Tom Carter procured eggs on I'Vaser's 

 Island in July, and Mr. J. Walker, K.N., found eggs and young on .\dele Island in .May. 



" Ibis, 1892. p 25S. 



