Vol. VIII, 

 igoq 



1 White, Expedition to Islands of Bass Strait. ^97 



thicket to another: the Fan-tailed Cwckoo {Caconiantis Jlabe/- 

 liforinis), from its solitary perch on a dry limb, gave forth its 

 mournful note ; a Blue Wren, the largest of its kind {Malurus 

 ellaabet/Ks), was fairly plentiful ; so also were the little Tits 

 {A cant hi. '2a); the Yellow Wattle-Bird, the Tasmanian form 

 {Acanthochcera inauris), was seen in the timbered country. We 

 also flushed a pair of Parrakeets at some distance, which I took 

 for the Green Parrakeet iPlatycercus flaviventris). In the more 

 open country the Flame-breasted Robin {Petrccca pJia^niced) was 

 to be met with; so also the Dusky Robin {P. vzttata). We 

 saw both the White-fronted Heron {Notophoyx novcB-]iolla7idice) 

 and the Night- Heron {Nyctlcorax caledonicii.{). We reached the 

 boat that evening before dark, after a 1 2-mile tramp through 

 mostly thick scrub. 



Next morning we steamed round the coast to the south side 

 of the island, to Seal Bay. Here a boat-load of excursionists 

 found landing very difficult, for all had to leave the boat some 

 distance out and wade through the surf to land. The object in 

 calling here was to visit a great deposit of bones on the slopes 

 of an ever-drifting sand-hill. They are the bones of many 

 animals, most of them extinct before the white man visited the 

 island, such as wombat, Emu, native cat, and a large species of 

 kangaroo — all peculiar to the island ; and the theory is that the 

 island, being covered in dense forest and scrub, was subject to 

 fierce fires, such as occur on the mainland. On these occasions 

 smoke and burning cinders are carried by strong winds far 

 across the island, and so the conflagration covers the island, 

 driving or consuming all before it. All living things rush on to 

 escape the flames, find themselves out on a sandy point, where 

 they perish, and we find their bones in countless numbers to the 

 present day. 



The warning whistle from the steamer caused the zoologists 

 to pick up their precious bones, and the photographers their 

 paraphernalia, and make for the ship's boat, for it was well 

 known that the captain would not give the warning un- 

 necessarily. It was no easy task to board a small boat tossing 

 in the surf, one moment at one's feet and the next on a big wave. 

 Still, after a good ducking, all got safely on board, and the 

 steamer stood out to sea. 



ALBATROSS ISLAND. 



Our next place of call was Albatross Island, a large, barren 

 rock rising out of an almost always angry sea. Here we met 

 with a great disappointment, for one of the chief objects of the 

 expedition was to visit a wonderful Albatross rookery that 

 crested the islet at this time of the year. There are few nesting 

 places of these noble birds ever visited by man, and the orni- 

 thologists were anxious to get records of the nidification of this 



