130 NiCHOLLS. Study of Penguins on The Nobbies. Vic. [j^t'^")",, 



Upper hill and tip of lower bill brownish-black, cutting edge of 

 upper bill fleshy-brown, lower bill pearly-white, tinged with pink ; 

 egg tooth plainly marked ; hare skin round eye dull blue ; feet white, 

 faintly tinged with blue, edge of wel? and V-shaped mark between 

 toes and claws dark brown, and soles of feet blackish. Toe-rings, 

 1-2-1.* 



Stomach. — 43 (young) squid beaks, seaweed, feathers, and small 

 pebbles ; these squid beaks measured from 2 mm. to 3 mm. in 

 length. 



Internal parasites, small round worms : external parasites, 

 small lice. 



Skin No. 51 (imm. S)- — I'^'is. — Inner circle silvery-cream, outer 

 circle dark brown, with fine network of silvery-cream lines. 



Upper hill brownish-black, cutting edge fleshy-brown, tip of 

 lower bill brownish-black, rest pearly-white tinged with pink. 



Feet white, faintly tinged blue ; narrow edge to web and V-shaped 

 mark between toes dark brown, under surface bluish. 



Stomach. — Remains of fish. 



Internal parasites, worms ; external parasites, lice. 



The bluish tint in the coloration of the upper surface of the 

 feet of young birds appears to be characteristic. 



The notes on the coloration of the soft parts and bill show 

 a gradual change of colour from nestling through immature and 

 young adult to adult life. 



One night we decided to catch several " wet " birds — that is, 

 birds having just come up from the sea. The object was to make 

 sure of getting adult specimens in good plumage, moulting birds 

 not entering the water, and to ascertain if any of the season's 

 young birds had left the burrows. Four specimens were secured 

 at 10 p.m. one evening. All were adult birds — two males and 

 two females. Several others were secured, but they were " drv " 

 birds, having come out of the burrows, as all moulting birds 

 appear to do, at night, or else the birds had come up from the 

 sea some time previously, and had dried off in the meantime, 

 taking at least one hour in the process. 



The Rookeries. 



The Penguin rookeries, for purposes of description, may be 

 grouped into four locahties — (i) the Big Nobby rookery (photo- 

 graph No. i), (2) the Little Nobby rookery (photograph No. i), 

 (3) the Shelly Beach rookery (photographs Nos. 5-6), (4) the 

 Headland rookery (photograph No. g). 



The Big Nobby rookery (photograph No. i) occupies~about two 

 acres on the summit of this outlier or stack, 100 feet above sea- 

 level. There is apparently only one entrance and exit for the 



* By " toe-rings " is meant the scuteliations. It was thought that the number of 

 these on each toe might assist in determining the age of the bird. Only a few 

 observations were made towards the end of the investigation. 



