A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE 



DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



Official Organ of The Audufon Societies 



Vol. XX January— February, 1918 No. 1 



Photographs of Falkland Island Bird-Life 



By ROLLO H. BECK 



FOR the past five years Rollo H. Beck has been collecting and studying 

 marine birds along and off the coasts of southern South America for 

 Frederick F. Brewster and Dr. L. C. Sanford. His collections are now 

 deposited in the American Museum of Natural History, and in the November, 

 19 1 7, number of the 'Journal' of that institution he begins a recountal of his 

 experiences by an exceedingly interesting description of his visit to the great 

 bird colonies of the Falkland Islands. 



Although these islands are treeless, they nevertheless possess a few species 

 of land-birds. Our own House Wren is represented by a closely related species. 

 There are also a Thrush about the size of our Robin, a Pipit, and several 

 Sparrows, all exactly or essentially like their representatives in the neighboring 

 parts of South America. 



It is, however, chiefly as a resort of sea-birds that the Falkland Islands are 

 known to ornithologists. Penguins, Cormorants, Ducks, and Geese of several 

 species abound here, and there are Albatrosses, Fulmars and Skuas. 



Beck landed at Port Stanley, the only town in the group, in October, 

 19 1 5, at the beginning of the subantarctic spring. From this point, he writes 

 that "it is possible to mount a horse and visit three species of Penguins on 

 their nesting-ground and return the same day. . . ." 



From Port Stanley, Beck went by sloop to the doubtless well-named 

 Bleaker Island, about 75 miles farther south. 



This island, he states, "is about twelve miles long by one wide and is devoted 

 wholly to sheep-raising, supporting about three thousand sheep." Here he found 

 the Gentoo Penguins landing on the south side of the island, walking a mile 

 over their accustomed path, passing at times through flocks of feeding sheep 

 — a strange association — to their nests within a few hundred yards of the water, 

 but on the opposite side of the island from that on which they landed. 



Mr. Beck's article is illustrated with a large number of admirable photo- 

 graphs, several of which, thanks to his courtesy and that of the American 

 Museum 'Journal,' we are permitted to reproduce in Bird-Lore. — Editor. 



