THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 157 



from their fishy dreams, and they were instantly on the wing and 

 away. I was much pleased to secure for the first time a pair of 

 eggs of the Little Tern, Stermda nereis ; they were taken from a 

 simple hollow in the loose shelly sand. There were also nests 

 with eggs of the Pacific Gull, Lams pacificus. Sooty Oyster Catcher, 

 Hceniaiopiis fuUgiiiosus, White-breasted Oyster Catcher, Hcematopus 

 longtrosifis, Hooded Dottrel, yEgialites 77ionacha, and Red-capped 

 Dottrel, yEgialophilus ruficapilliis^ but as these kinds are common 

 to most collections we let them alone, excepting a few fresh gulls' 

 eggs, which the skipper took to make fritters with. 



Leaving the Sound we walked on the east side of Walker's 

 Island, along a fine sandy beach, towards the rocks at the north 

 point, where two years ago I took for the first time the eggs of 

 the Sea YjSi^e, Poiioaetns leucogasier. The proper time would have 

 been about the 27th September, but hearing the eggs had been 

 destroyed this year I thought it just possible the birds might lay 

 again. We (my nephew and I) scaled the cliffs where a nest was 

 built on a pinnacle of the rocks, but we found it quite deserted and 

 partly blown down. A little further oft", however, we saw another 

 nest, more compact and recent looking, and to this we made our 

 way, and after a little climbing found that it was quite new, with 

 the usual lining of green gum leaves and twigs — but there were no 

 eggs. This nest, too, was on a high point of rocks, and was an 

 immense structure of sticks, many of which were two inches in 

 diameter. The birds were soaring overhead like two huge moths, 

 and I could not but wonder at their persistency in keeping to this 

 locality so long ; they have been known to breed here for about 

 fifteen years, and probably they have done so for a much longer 

 period, during which time the eggs have been destroyed, as the 

 tenants of the island aver that the birds kill lambs. On this point 

 I had always been sceptical ; in any case it seems a pity that this 

 fine species, which year by year is becoming more rare throughout 

 Australia, should not receive a little more consideration ; but few 

 sheep-farmers are naturalists. 



Leaving the nest we started away to join the others, who had 

 gone to examine a " Mutton Bird rookery " — some burrows of 

 the Short-tailed Petrel, Nectris brevicaudis, on new ground. Fresh 

 " rookeries " are found year after year, which are probably the first 

 breeding places of the younger birds, as I think this species, like 

 all the smaller petrels, is very local in its nesting habits, returning 

 to the same island every season, and probably to the same burrow. 



On the way to these nests I had a narrow escape from walking 

 on a large snake, Hoplocephabcs superbus, which sprang up from 

 the heathy plain close under my feet, and disputed the way, as 

 this species generally will do when at close quarters. We found 

 the " rookery," but were too early by a few days for the birds and 

 eggs 3 so we returned to camp after our walk of twelve miles. 



