84 Mr. W. L. Scl&ter—Saldanha Bay 



Mr. Kasner (who lias charge of the island), that a few of 

 the large White-breasted Duikers {Phalacrocorax lucidus) 

 and some large red-billed Terns (probably Sterna bergii) 

 also nest there. As, however, my time was somewhat 

 limited and the landing is rather difficult, I decided not to 

 visit Marcus, but continued on to Malagas. 



This island is surrounded by rocks and low cliffs from 

 about ten to twenty feet in height, so that landing is not very 

 easy, and it is necessary to spring from the stern of the boat 

 on to the slippery rocks at the right moment if one wishes 

 to arrive dry-shod. 



The whole of the interior of this island is more or less 

 flat, and is covered everywhere with countless numbers of 

 the Cape Gannet or Malagas. They were sitting so closely 

 that they were in many cases almost touching each other. 

 They were not in the least disturbed by our approach; on 

 the contrary, if we stepped among them they at once pecked 

 at us with their powerful light blue beaks, with which they 

 could easily effect a nasty wound. At the time that we 

 landed the breeding-season had just begun. The nest con- 

 sists of a little mound of mud and guano with a slight 

 depression at the top, while everywhere between the nests 

 the ground is quite bare, and white with the deposit of 

 guano. Only one egg is laid : on this the bird sits very 

 closely, covering it with its large webbed feet. The eggs, of 

 which I secured a good number, were extremely dirty, even 

 when they seemed to have been freshly laid. The colour is 

 almost pure white and the shape oval; the average dimensions 

 are 80 x 50 mm. (i. e. 3^ x 2 inches). 



All the time that I was watching the birds fresh individuals 

 were constantly arriving from the sea and others starting 

 off again, while there was a good deal of noise — a kind of 

 raucous squeaking. There was also much quarrelling and 

 fighting going on among the birds ; one individual, in par- 

 ticular, I noticed with the whole of its neck ripped open 

 and streaming with blood. Altogether it was certainly the 

 most remarkable assemblage of birds that 1 have ever 

 witnessed. 



