Birds of the South Orkney Islands. 175 



secured without the captor being defiled. When thus re- 

 moved they took short flights, and then alighted near the 

 nest. Both birds were often found sitting side by side (one 

 on the nest and the mate close alongside) and cooing and 

 clucking to each other, though not to the same extent as 

 during the month previous, when courtship was in full swing. 



On December 12th more eggs were procured from the 

 locality in which they were obtained on the 5th, and the nests 

 robbed on that day, though still empty, were covered by 

 sitting birds. On January 13th, 1904, a fresh egg marked on 

 December 2nd was found chipped, so that the period of 

 incubation was not less than forty-two days. On January 

 18th a chick five days old was taken for a skin, and young 

 birds were still in down on February 5th, after which date 

 the state of the ice did not permit of further observations 

 being made ere the Expedition left for the far south. 



It was noted that before laying its eggs this Petrel sits close 

 on the nest for about a month, and it was also observed that 

 it entirely disappeared from its nesting-haunts for some ten 

 days before the first eggs were laid. 



The eggs vary from oval to elongate-ovate in form. 

 Taking two extreme forms, I find their dimensions to work 

 out as follows : — Oval type, 56*5 x 43 mm. ; elongate-ovate 

 type, 67-2x43*3 mm. The average of a large number of 

 specimens is 62 - 35x43-ll mm. The length varies from 

 56'5 to 67"2 mm. and the breadth from 46*5 to 40*5 mm. 



In 1904 the first eggs were laid on December 3rd, or one 

 day later than in the previous year {Mossman). 



The numerous nests found were placed either on ledges of 

 cliffs, or, though these were few, in hollows in the earth and 

 among small stones on steep scree-slopes, and all were quite 

 open. These are noteworthy facts, for the nests (containing 

 young) found previous to the discoveries of the Scottish 

 Expedition were obtained in burroivs and grottoes on the 

 Island of Kerguelen. There is little doubt that the Cape 

 Petrel breeds at South Georgia, and Mr. Mossman tells 

 me that he saw it in numbers off Deception I., one of the 

 South Shetlands, in the height of the nesting-season. 



