THE AUSTRALIAN .\[USEUM MAGAZINE. 



257 



Two New Museum Groups. 



Bv Allan R. McCulloch 



(A generous joint subscription of thenecessary tunds by Mcssis. A. E. and O. Phillips, 

 Sir Hugh Dixson, Mr. William Dix.son, and Sir James Burns, enabled the Tru.stees to 

 desi^atch a party from the Museum to Lord Howe Island, with the object of procuring 

 material for the construction of three group exhibits in the Museum galleries. One of 

 thesehas already been described inTHE xAustkalian IMilseum Magazike, and the following 

 aa-enotes describing the natural condil ions which we have endeavouicd to represent inthe 

 other two. — Editor.) 



A Nesting Colony of Sea Birds on the Admiralty Rocks 

 at Lord Howe Island. 



SEA Birds wander far and \\'ide 

 over the oceans during the 

 greater part of the year, but, at 

 the call of the mating season, they 

 foregather at chosen places to nest and 

 rear their young. The colonies thus 

 formed often include countless thous- 

 ands of individuals, and may be com- 

 prised of either a single species or of 

 several different kinds. There is 

 reason to believe that many birds repair 

 to the same places year after year, 

 regardless of the great distances they 

 may have travelled betMeen whiles, 

 and it is probable that young birds 

 return to the islands upon which they 

 were reared ^^'hen the time comes for 



them to undertake the res])onsitjilities 

 of parenthood. 



The Admiralty Rocks at Lord Howe 

 Island are a grou]) of islets of fantastic 

 form, Avith a scanty growth of grass 

 and occasional low bushes upon their 

 rocky faces. They are difficult of 

 access except in very calm weather, and 

 are favoured accordingly by many sea- 

 birds as nesting sites. Early in Decem- 

 ber each year thousands upon thous- 

 ands of Wideawake Terns ( Onychoprion 

 fuliginosa) wend their way in from 

 the sea, and, meeting with their fellows, 

 chatter loudly as they select favoured 

 positions. Not that any one site 

 would appear to be better than the 



The Admiralty Islets lie off Ned's Beach, Lord Howe Island. 



