136 THE NATURALIST IN AUSTRALIA. 



surfaces but slightly altered coralla of the Madreporidse of which they are principally 

 composed. A characteristic illustration of the aspect of one of these overhanging 

 limestone promontories is afforded by the photograph reproduced as the heading 

 to this Chapter. This view represents the extreme end of Wreck Point, in Pelsart 

 Island, and is generally supposed to be the site of the stranding of the "Batavia" 

 in 1629. 



From time immemorial, as testified to by the deep guano deposits, Houtman's 

 Abrolhos has been the home or breeding centre of countless hosts of sea-birds, 

 which still resort thither in enormous quantities in the breeding season. At the dates 

 of the writer's visits to these islands, July and August, 1894, the nesting time for the 

 birds had not arrived. During the last visit in August, however, the "Wideawakes," 

 or Sooty Terns, absent during the daytime, commenced to assemble over their 

 breeding grounds on Rat Island as soon as it became dark, and, flying to and fro in 

 increasing numbers throughout the night, filled the air with their discordant noise. The 

 first-named title borne by these birds is supposed to be descriptive of their cry. To 

 the writer their note agreed, phonetically, much more nearly with the four syllables, 

 " Come-out-of-that," but it is probably open to various interpretations. There can be 

 no question, however, as to the fact that to light sleepers the burden of this sea-gull's 

 song must be eminently conducive to wakefulness. An investigation into a report 

 upon the number of varieties and breeding seasons and other data of interest con- 

 cerning the sea-birds frequenting the Abrolhos, has been recently carried put by 

 Mr. A. J. Campbell, F.L.S., the well-known Victorian ornithologist, and is published 

 in Vol. II., 1890, of the Reports of the Australian Association for the Advancement 

 of Science. The following is an abbreviated list of the sea-birds recorded in Mr. 

 Campbell's paper as permanently frequenting or resorting to the Abrolhos Islands at 

 their breeding seasons : 



LIST OF SEA AND SHORE BIRDS FREQUENTING HOUTMAN'S 

 ABROLHOS RECORDED BY MR. A. J. CAMPBELL, F.L.S. 



Halietus leucogaster, White-bellied Sea- 

 eagle. 



Pandion leucocephalus, White-headed 

 Osprey. 



Hcematopus longirostris, White-breasted 

 Oyster-catcher. 



Hcematopus unicolor, Sooty Oyster- 

 catcher. 



ruficapilla, Red-capped 

 Dottrel. 



Tringa albescens, Little Sandpiper. 

 Tringa subarquata, Curlew Sandpiper. 



