NATATORES. 505 



of the men with me, I stepped on shore and approached the 

 motley assembly, which was still sitting in close array on the 

 rock, and which did at length exhibit some degree of sm^prise 

 and uneasiness at the intrusion, but even then was so little 

 disturbed that we succeeded in capturing five fine birds with 

 the hand before the remainder had shuffled off to the ledge of 

 the rock and taken wing. Had this occurred at a breeding- 

 place it would not have excited my astonishment, for I was 

 aware that the Sula hassana would allow itself to be so taken 

 at that period ; but I did not expect that the present species 

 would admit of being captured while merely at rest : this 

 apparent want of caution or stupidity may in all probability 

 be attributed to the fact that their haunts on these islands 

 had rarely been intruded upon : boats the natives of the 

 southern parts of Tasmania never possessed, and the visits 

 of civilized man must have been few and far between. 



The food of this species consists of fish of various kinds, 

 which it procures by plunging vertically upon them as they 

 swim near the surface of the water. 



The sexes when adult are precisely alike in plumage ; the 

 young on the contrary, as is the case with the European bird, 

 differ greatly from their parents ; at first they are entirely 

 dark grey, which gives place to a beautifully mottled ap- 

 pearance, the head, neck, and under surface having put on a 

 white colouring with blotches or traces of the dark grey still 

 remaining, and the feathers of the upper surface having a 

 triangular spot of white at the tip of each ; this style of 

 plumage is gradually exchanged for the following, which is 

 characteristic of the adult. 



Crown of the head and back of the neck beautiful buff ; 

 the reminder of the plumage white, with the exception of the 

 primaries, secondaries, and four centre tail-feathers, which are 

 fidiginous brown with white shafts ; irides olive-white ; bill 

 brownish horn-colour, slightly tinged with blue ; space round 

 the eye leaden blue ; bare skin at the base of the beak and 



