588 Mr. C. F. Belcher on Birds 



-with a strong swinging flight. A single bird flew from the 

 second nest discovered, which was two feet down in a 

 horizontal crack, and was similar in all respects to the first 

 nest and contained three eggs. The eggs of the Micropus 

 pacificus are typical Swift's eggs — pure white in colour and 

 elongated in shape. Three apparently new nests were found 

 close to each other in the same cranny, a long narrow aper- 

 ture between two boulders. The remaining two nests were 

 adjacent but separated, the whole area for the purpose being 

 very restricted. 



The rock was again visited five days later. All the nests 

 now contained eggs, three of them one apiece only. No 

 other nest beside that previously mentioned contained three 

 esrsfs. One additional nest was discovered containing two 

 eo-ffs ; this made eiffht nests in all. A Swift was found on 

 each nest, but both birds at only two nests. Three Swifts 

 made their appearance when the rock was approached on the 

 latter occasion, and continued to fly round during the visit. 



XXXVII, — Notes on Birds observed in the South Pacific 

 Ocean during a voyage from Sydney to Valparaiso. By 

 Charles F. Belcher. 



On Thursday, October 23, 1913, I left Sydney as sole 

 passenger in the steamship ' Knight of the Garter/ Captain 

 David E-. Stephens, bound Avith 10,000 tons of Newcastle 

 coal for Valparaiso, which port was reached in due course 

 on Sunday, Nov. 16. With the aid of a pair of field-glasses, 

 I was able to make from time to time observations (chiefly 

 from the poop-deck) on the birds seen. These may be 

 worthy of record as throwing light on the geographical 

 distribution of certain of the species noted, and also as 

 providing material for inferences as to the locality of their 

 breeding-haunts, of which little is as yet known. 



The route taken across the south Pacific was not quite 

 the Great Circle track between the two ports, which has 



