^°'i ie^''] White, An Ornithological Cruise. Q 



Hypotaenidia philippensis australis '^H. philippeiisrs). Eastern Buff- 

 banded Rail. — When climbing to the top of Goat Island in Pondalowie 

 Bay we disturbed one of these birds in the rocks close to the water. 

 The GoUey Bros., on Wedge Island, stated that these birds were in 

 numbers at times amongst the rocks, and that they came to the house 

 and ate hen and turkey eggs. 



Pelagodroma marina howei (P. marina). Eastern White-faced 

 Storm-Peti-el. — A few of these Storm-Petrels were seen flying over 

 the water as we approached Wedge Island. 



Neonectris tenuirostris brevicaudus (Puffinus brevicaudus). Short- 

 tailed Petrel. — A few birds were seen skimming over the open sea. 

 The top of Big Althorpe Island is a huge rookery of them, and they 

 have been so pressed for room that they have burrowed right up to 

 the lighthouse and the buildings round. The keeper of the light 

 (Mr. M'Lean) told us that i6 dozen eggs were collected under bushes 

 in the close vicinity of this cottage. The birds are very little dis- 

 turbed, for the light -keepers, at the time of our visit, were not using 

 voung or eggs for food. All burrows contained heavily-incubated 

 eggs. The temperatures of four sitting birds, taken by Dr. Morgan 

 as we pulled them out of the burrows, were io;^.2°, 101.2°, 100°, and 

 101° F. Iris in the living birds is dark brown ; legs and feet black. 

 This Petrel was also nesting in numbers upon Goat Island, in Ponda- 

 lowie Bay. 



Petrel (sp. ?) — This Petrel, which we had been on the look-out for, 

 was unfortunately not secured, and still remains to be identified. 

 From the distance it certainlv resembles Mr. Basset Hull's new bird, 

 the Fluttering Petrel. 



Hydroprogne tschegrava strenua {Sylochelidon caspia). Australian 

 Caspian Tern. — A number was observed during the cruise, and the 

 birds were nesting on Beatrice Spit. A nest containing three eggs was 

 seen, also one containing a chipped egg and a young bird. 



Thalasseus bergi poliocercus (Sterna cristata). Crested Tern. — These 

 Terns are very plentiful all along the coast-line — in fact, they were 

 the most numerous of the sea-birds, and far outnumbered the Silver 

 Gulls. We met with them flying over the water (with their sharp 

 bills pointing straight down"), ever on the watch for food, when we 

 were at sea, and at many places they were congregated in numbers 

 on the sandy spits. When disturbed they flew round with great 

 noise. At Beatrice Spit we found one egg in the sand ; but whether 

 this was a pair of birds nesting late or the first egg laid of a party of 

 Terns it is difficult to judge. 



Sternula n. nereis [Sternula nereis). White-faced Ternlet. — These 

 beautiful little birds were seen in large parties at several of the 

 islands we visited. They were breeding at Beatrice Spit, having fully 

 fledged young at one end of the Spit, while at the other numbers were 

 sitting on their eggs. All the nests had two eggs, and the nests were 

 placed in rows parallel to each other. 



Bruchigavia ethelae (Lanis novcB-hollandice). Southern Silver Gull. 

 — Very few were seen. I have never been along our coast and seen 

 so few ; one can only suppose they were away nesting. 



Gabianus p. pacificus (Gabianus pacificus). Pacific Gull. — A few 

 birds were often found at the islands we visited ; they stood upon the 



