THE BIRDS OF SOUTH GEORGIA 569 



He places this on the nest and then bows the head down to the ground and spreads 

 the tail and makes a loud braying cry. The female bows and brays too, and then 

 arranges the mud on the nest and treads it down . The birds then nibble each other's beaks 

 and bow and bray again, after which the male fetches another load of mud. In between 

 spells of nest-building, and after it is complete, they go through a further ceremony. 

 Standing on or near the nest, facing each other, they touch the tips and sides of the 

 bill, as though fencing with them. They then bow to each other, and each turns the 

 head round so that it faces backwards, and touches the back between the shoulders 

 with the tip of the bill. They stop in this attitude for a moment and make a low grunt 

 and then face forward again and start braying with the beaks wide open, moving the 

 head from side to side while the tail is spread. They then nibble the feathers of each 

 other's heads before going through the same process again. The displays are not usually 

 followed by pairing. When they bray the feathers of the side of the face are parted so 

 that a furrow is formed running back from the gape: this exposes a ridge of pink skin. 

 The ridge is kept exposed for a few moments after the call and then the feathers are 

 allowed to fall into place. When they arrive in the rookery after being away fishing 

 at sea they bray loudly as soon as they have got on to their feet : they land very awkwardly 

 and usually capsize on to the breast. 



The single egg is laid by the beginning of the third week in October. It is white 

 with a varying amount of red spots and freckles, often concentrated into a zone at the 

 larger end. The period of incubation is said to be about five to six weeks; newly 

 hatched young were seen in January, 1926, but they were probably from a second 

 laying of eggs, as the rookery had been disturbed and the eggs gathered earlier in the 

 season. Both sexes incubate. 



The young nestlings are clothed in short grey-white down and have the feet light 

 grey, bill black, with white egg tooth, and iris dark brown (Plate XLV, fig. i). They 

 make a soft piping cry in the nest and are fed by the parents regurgitating the food into 

 the throat, from which they take it. When half grown (Plate XLV, fig. 2) they are 

 clothed in grey-white woolly down, which is short on the face. The feet and legs are 

 light grey with a pink tinge, the bill is black and the iris dark brown, the inside of the 

 mouth is bright pink. The cry is loud and shrill, and after they are half grown they 

 attempt to imitate the braying call of the adults. They start right but the voice then 

 breaks and they finish on a falsetto note. When approached they sit back in the nest 

 and stretch up the neck, all the while shuffling round so as to face the visitor (Plate L, 

 figs. 3, 4). They snap the bill at him, at each snap making a gulping sound. If closely 

 approached the snapping becomes rapid and a quantity of dark orange-red oil is brought 

 up into the throat and ejected. The oil is quite clear with a strong odour and sets solid 

 on cooling. 



The soft parts of the adult are as follows : bill yellow with orange tip and a black 

 line at the base. The feet and toes greyish white, claws white and webs greyish. When 

 the webs are seen by transmitted light, as the bird spreads them to alight, they appear 

 bright pink. The iris is dark brown. 



