86 On Birds seen fairing the Cruise of the " Valhalla" R. Y.S.


Cormorants of the food they are bringing for their young, and

also of eating the entrails of the young themselves. Young

Ibises when handled certainly disgorged a mass of entrails !

The strict preservation of the Cormorant, which is the best

guano producer, indirectly preserves the Ibis. As until the

main body of the young Cormorants have flown, no one enters a

Cormorant colony, for if the Cormorants leave their nests, these

are immediately pounced upon \>y the Black-backed Gulls, Larus

dominicamis, which are always waiting for the opportunity.

These } T oung Sacred Ibises throve and were almost omnivorous ;

they certainly preferred meat to fish, but they were fond of bread,

raisins and banana, and were always robbing other birds in cages

of their dainties. They had no trouble in getting any thing they

wanted with their long curved beaks. The}'' were great consu-

mers of gravel, which was ejected as a casting in a few hours

covered with mucous. I saw a wild Abbott's Ibis (of this more

anon) go through this performance, and observed that some of

the casting was composed of unripe berries. These young Ibises

may now be seen In the Zoological Gardens, remarkably fine

healthy birds, in full plumage with the exception of the neck,

which is still covered with small black and white feathers. They

have already changed their ornamental "decomposed" second-

aries three times, those they are now wearing being apparently

mature.


This island was extremely interesting, and we had too short

a time on it. We were told that about nine million Penguins

resorted there : it seemed quite possible. The colonies of Cape

Cormorants dotted about amongst the Penguins must have

numbered many thousand birds. The Black - backed Gull was

too numerous. We saw also the Bank-duiker, Phalacrocorax neg-

lechis ; the Black Oyster- Catcher, Hcematopus moquini, a pair of

which may be seen now in the Eastern Aviary at the Zoo. And,

floating in a bay close to where we re-embarked, were several

Giant Petrels, Ossifraga gigantea, evidently gorged with good

things so easily picked up on and around this island.


I may incidentally remark that the guano from this island

is sold to the Cape farmers at about £6 ios. per ton. The Pen-

guins' eggs are sold up to ios. per ioo ; 21,000 eggs were taken



