90 ZOOLOGICAL LOG OF OMOXD HOUSE 



chicks certainly a day or two ahead of those at the " Half-Moon " rookeries. No gentoo 

 young seen. 



Got six skuas' eggs all single, mostly on mossy rocks, one high up on the ridge between 

 Scotia and Buchan Bays. To one of the skuas from whom we took an egg we gave a 

 penguin egg, and about half-an-hour later found her sitting quite contentedly on it. 



Got eleven paddies' eggs, two nests of three, two of two and one with one. The last 

 we dated and left. Four of the nests were quite low down, between 10 and 20 feet above 

 sea-level, and situated in crevices of the rock or under a boulder on the edge of the 

 rookery usually between it and the sea. Nests composed mainly of egg-shells and 

 penguin bones, also penguin feathers and limpet-shells. One nest was well up on the 

 large moraine rookery, a full arm's length in under a large boulder and right among the 

 penguins. Two other nests with no eggs. Got one Wilson's petrel's egg in cliffs above 

 the house in the same nest where I caught the petrel a few days ago. 



Weddell seals on the west side of the bay as usual. 



Dec, 12th. At big ringed penguin rookery to N. N. W. Most of the birds have 

 laid now. Only saw one nest with three eggs and the third was an extremely small 

 one. At mouth of Uruguay Cove on the east side, got six Cape pigeons' eggs, and one 

 snowy's and six terns'. All the terns' were single eggs. A skua was hovering about 

 there, seemingly on the look-out for petrels' eggs. One sucked Cape pigeon's egg was 

 observed. No sign of the mate of the new petrel caught there a few days ago. 



On rocky islet at head of Scotia Bay the shags settle every night, but there are no 

 signs of their nesting there. A tern was seen pursuing fiercely the gull which is nesting 

 there ; reason unknown. A couple of paddies seem to be nest-building on the islet. 



All birds of the islands, at least the twelve common species, observed. Lifted trap 

 which had been down for about a week. Ice had carried it inshore a good bit ; nothing 

 in it. Replaced it in G fathoms 011 gravel and weed, and lowered the other one near the 

 rocky shore in dense weed, 4 fathoms. 



One Weddell seal seen in Uruguay Cove on a Hoe-piece. 



Dec: 13th. Birds: skuas, gulls, terns, Wilson's petrels, snowy petrels, paddies, 

 adelia penguins, (?) silver petrel and nellies. 



Several pieces of compound ascidian thrown up on The Beach ; measured one piece, 

 20 feet long, and it may have been longer as another piece about 10 feet long lying 

 beside it looked as if it had been broken off. 



Dec. 14th. Went to Point Davis. Expected to find young gulls and terns, but 

 none are hatched yet. Caught a Wilson's petrel on nest (same nest as before), but no 

 eggs yet. Found another old nest with a dead young bird in it. Other birds about : 

 skuas, nellies, paddies, shags, adelia penguins and snowy petrels. 



Dec. 15th. Birds : all the twelve common species observed, and in addition a single 

 silver petrel flying over the head of Scotia Bay. 



Lifted trap, 4 to 6 fathoms, Scotia Bay. Only cushion-stars and other star-fish. 



1 The large rookeries about Route Point. 



