64 



Mr. M. J. Nicoll — Ornithological Journal 



We left Fiji on May 6th, 1903. On May 13th I saw 

 several Petrels (Oceanites Oceanians). Late at night on 

 .May 16th (lat. 9° 4/ 55" S., long. 144° 20' E.) a young Sula 

 leucogastra was caught on board, and on the same occasion 

 I saw numbers of Sterna fuliginosa. That day we entered 

 'Forres Straits, and at night anchored off Stevens Island. 

 On May 17th we passed many coral islets, flying over which 

 were numbers of the smaller Frigate-bird (Fregata ariel). 

 Several White Egrets passed us, and we could see flocks of 

 these birds sitting on trees on the islands. Later in the day 

 an individual of Larus nov(e-holla>i<li<<> followed us; this was 

 the first Gull seen since leaving Chile. At 6.30 a.m. the 

 next day we entered the harbour of Thursday Island. L 

 went ashore soon afterwards and saw numbers of birds, and 

 shot several. I put up two large Bustards, probably Otis 

 australis. 



Thursday Island is covered in many places with the large 

 and curious nests of the white termite, some of which were 

 eight feet in height. I made several visits to the reef which 

 surrounds the harbour. While we were at Thursday Island 

 1 went in the launch to Prince of Wales Island, about five 

 miles distant, and found a fair number of birds there. The 

 islands in Torres Straits seem to be halting-places for many 

 species migrating from New Guinea to Australia and vice versa. 

 I saw some Plovers of the genera Charadrius and jEgiolit'ts 

 at Thursday Island, but was not able to obtain any of them. 



1 secured examples of the following twelve species of birds 

 on the two islands of Torres Straits which we visited : — 



('labia bracteata (Gould). 

 <Traucalus bypoleucus Gould. 

 Cinnyris frenata (#. Mull.). 

 .Mvzoruela obscura Gould. 

 Philemon buceroides Swains. 

 Dicasum hirundinaceuni (Shaiv fy 

 Nodder). 



Ilirundo neoxena Gould. 

 Podargus papuensis Quoy §■ Gaim. 

 Meropa ornatua Lath. 



Numemus variegatus {Scop.). 

 Tringa subarquata (Guldcnst.). 

 Sterna berffii Licht. 



As will be seen, these are nearly all well-known Australian 

 species, but I may make the following remarks : — 



Myzomela obscura is fairly common on both these islands; 



