78 IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS 



the Petrels had been foraging at sea, far away in Bass 

 Strait, and now they were home again, with food for 

 their hungry offspring. Plaintive notes of welcome 

 issued from the nurseries. The food consists of 

 minute crustaceans, and is partially digested before 

 being conveyed to the chicks by means of regurgita- 

 tion. The number of Storm-Petrels that breed on 

 Mud Island has been estimated at 20,000, which is 

 probably near the mark. The island at one time was 

 visited constantly by men who gathered large quanti- 

 ties of guano, and destroyed portions of the rookeries ; 

 this vandalism long since ceased, and the Petrels are 

 protected under the State Game Act. 



