92 ZOOLOGICAL LOG OF OMOND HOUSE 



Dec. 19th. Birds about: three kinds of penguins, skuas, paddies, gulls, nellies, 

 shags, Wilson's and snowy petrels, Cape pigeons and terns. 



Dec. 20th.~ Birds : skuas, gulls, terns, nellies, Wilson's petrels, adelia and ringed 

 penguins. 



Dec. 22nd. Birds : adelia and ringed penguins, skuas and nellies. 



Dec. 23rd. Birds : adelia and ringed penguins, skuas, nellies, gulls, terns, Wilson's 

 and snowy petrels, paddies and shags. 



Neither the Cape pigeons' nor the gulls' nests near the house have young as yet. A 

 dead Wilson's petrel was picked up on the snow near the house. Have not seen so 

 many Wilson's petrels flying about lately, nor can they be seen in their nesting places 

 where they were found first. 



Had dredge down twice and caught one limpet. 



Dec. 2ith. Young penguins got at small rookery. Birds under a fortnight old 

 have already a small geological museum in their stomachs. 



Three kinds of penguins, gulls, terns, skuas, shags, nellies, Wilson's and snowy 

 petrels, and paddies. Weddell seals on west side of the bay. 



Dec. 25th. Weddell seals swimming out at the head of the bay. Adelia and 

 ringed penguins always abundant on the ice-foot now. .Skuas, gulls, terns, nellies, 

 Wilson's and snowy petrels, and shags. 



Dec. 26th. Three species of penguins, gulls, skuas, nellies, terns, paddies, shags, 

 Wilson's and snowy petrels. Weddell seals on the ice at Point Davis. Got one young 

 gull and one young tern at Point Davis. Saw other hatched eggs but chicks were not 

 to be seen and had probably hidden themselves, as the two we got were trying to do, 

 especially the gull. The gull, which is about a week old, I should think, was observed 

 to bring up a large ball of feathers ; I am trying to keep it alive. It eats pieces of 

 penguin meat from one's hand most voraciously. Cry of both young birds like that of 

 their parents. 



Trawl in 8 to 14 fathoms contained a few pycnogons. 



Dredge in 14 fathoms : one limpet, one cushion-star and one spiny ascidian ; but 

 these were not bottled till 27th, when the cushion-star had " bottled " the limpet. 



Dec. 27th. Three species of penguins, gulls, skuas and nellies. Young gull seems to 

 be thriving. He will not eat when shut up in his box but on the table eats penguin. 

 bully-beef, bread, limpets, etc., greedily, and then likes some snow to slake his thirst. 



Shot a young male Lobodon on The Beach. His coat was dark grey, almost black 

 dorsally, but with a little mottling of lighter colour. Underneath, the colour was 

 silvery grey with a yellowish tint and much mottling, especially near the junction with 

 the darker dorsal strip. The mottling was not indistinct but in very definite spots, 

 mostly small, i.e. 1 in. or less ; flippers dark grey like back with considerable mottling ; 

 stomach and intestine empty. 



Dec. 28th. Paddies : got two eggs and the bird on its nest where three eggs had 

 already been lifted. One egg in another nest where three had previously been got. 



