Birds of the South Orkney Islands. 167 



short visit of the Expedition on February 4th, 1903, and 

 was probably breeding there. 



In the autumn of 1903 it was last seen on March 23rd, as 

 the ' Scotia ' was approaching the islands from the south, 

 on her first voyage from the Weddell Sea. It was never 

 observed during the winter months, and did not appear 

 until late in the spring, namely on November 11th *, being 

 the last of the summer visitors to arrive. On the 23rd the 

 ice broke up and many birds arrived, including numbers 

 of this species. After this date it was constantly under 

 observation, for several dozens took up their abode iu the 

 cliff above the observatory, where, on December 11th, the 

 first egg was obtained. 



There was no attempt at nest-making, the egg was simply 

 laid in a hollow in the earth in narrow clefts and fissures in 

 the face of the cliffs, under boulders, and sometimes under 

 stones on the screes sloping from the foot of the precipice, 

 at heights varying from 20 to 300 feet above sea-level. It was 

 often placed far in, and this and the fact that the hole was 

 so narrow made the egg difficult to procure. Some of 

 the eggs were laid at such a distance from the entrance 

 that a spoon had to be lashed to a long bamboo in order to 

 reach them. The searchers could hear the low whistle 

 uttered every few seconds by the sitting bird, but on 

 reaching the spot whence it seemed to proceed the sound 

 would appear to come from an entirely different direction. 

 The dog " Russ " proved to be a great aid in work of this 

 kind, for he easily detected the bird's presence by his keen 

 sense of smell. When caught on the egg the birds brought 

 up a reddish fluid, which issued both from the mouth and 

 nostrils. In addition to the low whistle, these Petrels had 

 a harsh screaming chuckle. These noises they kept up 

 almost continuously after dark, especially on still nights. 



They appear to return year after year to the same nesting- 



* This and other species appear to be remarkably constant as to the 

 times of their appearance and departure at the South Orkneys. As an 

 instance of this, it is interesting to note that Mr. Mossman observed the 

 first Wilson's Petrel in the spring of 1904 on November 12th. 



