12 Iredale, Bird Life on the Kermadec Islands. [isf'juiy 



matter of fact the noise when two or three quarrels were in 

 progress was beyond the powers of description. Naturally this 

 fighting disposition did not conduce to the examination of many 

 nesting-holes. The birds' long, hooked bills were sufficient to 

 draw blood even when the hand was heavily gloved, and their 

 tenacity caused a nasty tear. Their burrows were long, often 

 over 3 feet in length, and winding. The down of the young 

 was dark grey. These downy young possessed the nature of 

 the adult, and their note was very querulous. When half-grown 

 they are left to shift for themselves, and consequently many 

 perish. 



Of a different nature was the little white-breasted Allied 

 Petrel {Puffiims assitnilis), which came in large numbers to 

 Meyer Island alone to breed. It arrived about the beginning of 

 May, an odd bird being heard passing overhead at nightfall the 

 last week in April. The note of this bird has not the melancholy 

 sound of the preceding ; it is a short guttural cry, with a peculiar 

 finish, which can to some degree be imitated by a human being 

 by a deep indrawing of the breath. This peculiar sound was 

 also present in the cry of the previous bird, but not so pro- 

 nounced. It is a gentle bird, which does not seem to possess 

 the nature of its ally. On 3rd August, as it did not breed on 

 the main island, Meyer Island was visited, and a number of 

 holes were examined. Fresh eggs were found, hard-set eggs 

 predominated, and three downy young were noted. However, 

 in some holes two birds with no egg were observed. The 

 holes were short, being from i to 2 feet in length. The downy 

 young has been carefully described by Sir Walter Buller. 

 In A. J. Campbell's " Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds," p. 

 879, I note the following : — " Gould received two beautiful 

 snow-while eggs of the Allied Petrel from Macgillivray. They 

 were collected on Royal Island (wherever that island is situated) 

 in July, 1854. [.M'i.ossel Island, Louisiades, June, 1844. — 

 E.A.P.] " The island referred to is Raoul, more commonly 

 known in recent years as Sunday Island, and the date is correct. 

 All Macgillivray 's specimens were labelled " Raoul," whether 

 collected on the main island or the outlying islets. 



The Petrels of the genus CEstrelata, I find, are called the 

 Dove-like Fulmars. This describes them very well. They have 

 very gentle habits, and are meek in expression like a Dove. 

 Two burrowing species of this genus bred on Sunday Island — 

 CE. cervicalis, Salv., and Qi. nigripennis, Rothsch. The former, 

 technically known as the Black-capped Petrel, though sometimes 

 called the Sunday Island Petrel, is, I believe, the handsomest bird 

 of the genus. It has not yet been found breeding elsewhere, and it 

 breeds only very sparingly on the island. It was estimated that 

 less than 500 pairs were breeding, and that little increase is being 

 made, owing to the ravages of wild cats. Scattered colonies exist 



