Vol. IX. 

 1510 



1 Littler, A Trip to Ninth Island, Bass Strait. ^47 



varied by different birds. By 7 p.m. a rookery would be in full 

 swing, some birds courting, some scratching out their burrows, 

 others quarrelling, and others again merely making a hideous 

 noise. We observed that during the early part of any night 

 only a small proportion of the birds in any one rookery would 

 be giving tongue. Occasionally a female would resent the 

 attentions of a male, then a battle royal would result, with much 

 noise and little damage. In several instances a bird was 

 observed to enter a burrow already occupied by a pair ; result — 

 the intruder would come out of that burrow in " record " time 

 and scuttle away as fast as its short legs would carry it. Be- 

 tween midnight and 4 a.m. every Penguin on the island seemed 

 to be in active vocal competition with its neighbour, but by 

 5 a.m. silence reigned supreme, the majority of the birds having 

 quietly waddled down the rocks the same way as they had arrived 

 the previous evening and swum out to sea, disappearing from 

 view in a few minutes, while the few that remained slept. Very 

 rarely was it that a sound broke the silence on a rookery 

 between the hours of 5 a.m. and 6 p.m., even though a couple of 

 hundred birds might be underground. The curious fact was 

 noted on the 25th September that up to 9.30 p.m. hardly a 

 Penguin had uttered a sound, though present in vast hordes. 



One morning a Sooty Albatross {Phcebetria fuligiiiosd) was 

 observed slowly swimming close inshore along the southern side 

 of the island. Its appearance caused a great commotion among 

 the Silver Gulls, who made many attempts to drive it away, 

 but without success. It swam along the entire length of the 

 island, regardless of its tormentors, and then shortly afterwards 

 lazily took flight. 



Every day that it was at all rough Gannets {Siila serrator) 

 were seen fishing between the island and the mainland. They 

 were generally in pairs. 



A flock of Wood-Swallows {Artainus sordidus), numbering 

 fully 500 birds, suddenly appeared one afternoon, and in all 

 probability remained all night, but after 8.30 p.m. their cries 

 could no longer be heard, owing to the din caused by the Petrels 

 and Penguins. They spent all their time busily fly-catching. 

 At one time they wheeled high in the air, at another darted 

 close to the surface of the ground, then suddenly alighted for a 

 few moments. Next morning only a small number was seen. 

 Small parties of Tree-Martins {JPetrocJielidon nigricans) and 

 Dusky Fantails {Rhipidnra diemenensis) were constant visitors, 

 usually arriving in the morning and departing again towards 

 evening. Insectivorous birds found an abundance of food in the 

 shape of a small two-winged fly. Flame-breasted Robins {Petroeca 

 pJiceniced) and Fan-tailed Cuckoos {Cacommitis flabellifonnis) 

 were also noted. A flock of six Orange-bellied Grass-Parrakeets 

 (NeopJienia chrysogastrd) paid a short visit ; they were seen to 



