Vol. IX. 

 igio 



] Stray Feathers. ^7-^ 



discernible the contour of Rottnest Island, which lies lO miles 

 or so out to sea from Fremantle. All these outposts of the 

 western coast have been gnawed by the waves, and some of the 

 rocks near Safety Bay have picturesque grottoes and caverns. 

 Perhaps the largest of these is situated on Bird Island, and every 

 year it affords a nesting-place for m.any hundreds of the beautiful 

 Night-Heron {Nycticorax caledonicus). 



Through the night we lay snugly sheltered under the lee of 

 an islet, and at daybreak we left the lugger and leisurely rowed 

 across to the cavern on Bird Island, facing the open ocean. 

 Pulling close up to the entrance, we found every ledge occupied 

 by a sitting bird, and as we entered the grotto great was the 

 scuttling as numbers of the birds rose on the wing and made 

 a hurried exit to the rocks surrounding the entrance. From 

 there they watched us with evident concern as we scrambled 

 from rock to rock, here examining a pretty nest, and there pick- 

 ing up a baby Heron. Rock crabs scuttled away as we moved 

 about, and excitement was added by a large shark seen slowly 

 swimming round beneath our small craft. With lazy movements 

 he made his way, much to the consternation of the smaller fish, 

 which darted to the protection of the seaweed-covered rocks that 

 edged the bottom of this pretty sea-cavern. Scrambling up the 

 rocks to the top of the small island, we found the low bushes 

 thickly tenanted by the Herons, many chicks being seen, 

 apparently about a week old. Another mass of rock close by 

 was the home of hundreds of Cormorants, dozens of whose 

 nests crowned every jutting point of rock. The adventurous 

 member of the party managed to land there with difficulty. 

 The dinghy was rowed close in to the reef that flanked this 

 sanctuary of the birds, and as the small craft bobbed about 

 dangerously near the rocks, the would-be lander jumped from 

 the bows into shallow surf, while with a few strong pulls the 

 boat was shot back again to quieter water away from the reef, 

 which every moment was covered with foam, and then exposed 

 as the backwash, thrown away, ran outwards again to meet and 

 mingle with the oncoming waves. Much interesting work was 

 done among the birds during my short stay, but undoubtedly 

 the pleasantest recollection of the trip is the visit to the Heron 

 rookery, just after daybreak on that beautiful morning. — 

 C. Price Conigrave. W.A. Museum (Perth). 



Devonport (Tas.) Notes. — Double-banded Dottrel {Ochtho- 

 droimis bicinctns). — The afternoon of i6th July was warm and 

 sunny, and, while walking at East Devonport, I noticed about 

 30 Dottrels feeding in a swampy paddock near the beach. They 

 were very wary, and, not having glasses with me, I was unable 

 to distinguish the bands, but there is little doubt they belonged 



