^""ig^o"'"] Hull, The Montague Island Giillery. 85 



In the afternoon we set out in the hghthouse boat for Narooma, 

 5 miles distant. There was very Httle wind, but a long swell was 

 rolling in to the mainland. The Narooma bar had shifted since the 

 lighthouse men were there last, and we took it too low down. 

 Coming in on a comber, the boat capsized, and for a few moments 

 (which, however, seemed quite long enough) I sought the bottom 

 of the sea. Failing to find it, I came up and contented myself 

 with the bottom of the boat, where I found the two assistant light- 

 house keepers, but no sign of my boy. Searching for him amongst 

 the floating gear alongside I saw his head emerge a yard or two 

 away, and he came for the boat in great style, getting a good foot- 

 hold on the coamings and a grasp of the keel just in time to meet 

 the next roller which swept over us. He had loeen up in the bow 

 when the boat capsized, went down with the mast and sail, and 

 came up under the boat. He then dived out and cleared the 

 wreckage successfully. For the next half-hour we hung on to the 

 upturned boat, and our years of indulgence in the surf-loathing 

 "habit" stood us in good stead, for we emerged from each suc- 

 cessive roller wet but cheerful. There was no question of swimming . 

 for the shore, for this bar abounds in sharks, as many as 32 having 

 been caught in a day's fishing. Our accident was witnessed by 

 several people on shore, and the lifeboat put off and rescued us 

 from OLir unpleasant perch, soaked, somewhat cold, hatless, but 

 otherwise unharmed. The boat's gear and some of our lighter 

 articles of luggage, including a basket containing the precious 

 " mutations," floated, and were picked up by the rescue party, but 

 my camera and the series of 30 plates of the island and Gullery in 

 all their undeveloped wealth of possibilities went to the bottom on 

 Narooma bar.* 



Later on in the season Mr. Bailey sent me another pair of the red 

 mutation with the creamy-white ground — dimensions, (i) 2.04 x 

 1.50, (2) 2 X 1.42 inches — and a beautiful clutch of three of the pale 

 blue eggs without markings — dimensions, (i) 2.08 x 1.51, (2) 2.09 x 

 1-52, (3) 2.21 X 1. 51 inches — and one of the latter forming one of a 

 clutch of four, the other three being normal. 



A colony of Crested Terns {Sterna bergii), about 3,000 in number, 

 also breeds on the north island. Last September, when we left, a 

 few birds had arrived, but they did not lay until late in October. 

 Mr. Bailey found one bird only sitting on two eggs, the others being 

 satisfied with a single egg. I have the pair in my collection, one of 

 which has a very heavily scored figure 2 amongst the natural 

 markings on the top. This year (190S) Mr. Bafley states that the 

 Terns arrived before the 15th August, but had not started to lay 

 by the 14th September. 



* Members of the A.O.U. will congratulate Mr. Hull and his party on their fortunate 

 escape, and will sympathize with him and his son in the loss of what would have 

 undoubtedly proved to be an exceedingly interesting set of pictures. It is to be 

 hoped that a favourable opportunity may occur some day to retake them. — Eds. 



