158 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



The east wind had freshened to a hard gale, and we had to remain 

 at our anchorage, no further advance being possible. 



The following day, the gale being, if anything, stronger than 

 ever, I decided to cross over the Sound and examine the large bay 

 or inlet opposite on Robbins's Island, but after half a day's walking 

 I found it to be only a wilderness of sand-flats of perhaps 

 2,000 acres in extent, and devoid of all interest ; for, excepting 

 a few Black Swan, there was no life whatever to be seen. Returning, 

 we walked to the western extremity of the Sound, and at its rocky 

 point flushed a few birds which I could not identify ; they were 

 extremely wild and not to be approached within range. Possibly 

 they were Curlew Sandpipers, Ancylochinus subarquatus, but their 

 behaviour led me to regard them as visitors only. In the after- 

 noon we visited the shell bank again, and found the Little Terns 

 had quite disappeared ; but not so the other birds mentioned, 

 which were as numerous as ever. The wind was still blowing a 

 fierce gale, and there was nothing for it but to wait for a change. 

 We camped early, and I was long kept awake by the plaintive 

 cries of the shore-birds, and the hoarse thundering of the sea on 

 the outside beach. 



On Sunday, the 17th, the wind had lulled. Rain had fallen all 

 through the night, and as the sea was running too high to sail for 

 Three Hummock Island, we started for the Woolnorth shore. 

 We decided on this course as a westerly wind was expected and 

 we should be a long way to windward at this part of the mainland 

 for our start to the larger islands. 



I went off in the dingy to Harbour Island, where the White- 

 faced Storm Petrel, Pelagodroma fregata , breeds, but was too early 

 by a few days for the eggs. Penguins, Eudyptula minor, were 

 plentiful, and had taken possession of some Mutton Bird holes, 

 which were numerous. Like the Pelican, these Penguins are 

 somewhat irregular in laying their eggs, as in some of the holes 

 we found young birds, in others fresh eggs, and in some instances 

 the birds had not begun to lay. The Black Oyster Catcher's eggs 

 were fresh on this island. I have noticed this species invariably 

 select the smaller islands near the coast for breeding on, though 

 they are to be found occasionally on rocky points of the mainland 

 where no islands are near ; whilst the black and white species 

 always keep the main shore or the larger islands — preferring sandy 

 beaches, upon which they nest just above high water mark. Both 

 nest and eggs of this latter species are easily found by the initiated, 

 as the birds always walk from the nest, so one has only to look 

 out for the tracks in the sand and follow them up to the nest, from 

 which they radiate in all directions. 



In regard to the black species, Bcematopus fuliginostis, the birds 

 will keep to the same island, and even the exact site of former 

 nests, for years. On one island down our west coast I have taken 



