MORGAN — Ornithological Trip, St. Vincent and Spencer Gulfs. 141 



An Onithoiogical Trip 

 in St. Vincent and Spencer Gulfs. 



By A. M. Morgan, M.B., Ch.B. 



During the early part of this year Capt. S. A. White 

 and myself had an opportunity of visiting some of the islands 

 in St. Vincent's and Spencer's Gulfs. The trip was under- 

 taken at the invitation of Messrs. A. G. and E. S. Rymill, who* 

 placed their motor yacht "Avocet" practically at our disposal, 

 and did everything possible to further our aims. The objects 

 of the trip were : To land on the Pages, three small islands at 

 the southern entrance of Backstairs Passage, as yet, as far as 

 we know, not visited by any ornithologist; to secure specimens 

 of a skua, supposed to be the arctic skua; to secure speci- 

 mens of a white-breasted petrel which neither of us had been 

 able to identify; to investigate the food of cormorants; to take 

 the temperatures of certain sea birds; and the study of the 

 ornithology of isolated islands. 



Port Adelaide was left on the afternoon of Janury 1st, 

 and the yacht anchored for the night at the Outer Harbour. 

 An early start was made next morning for the Pages, but on 

 rounding Rapid Head, near the northern entrance. of Back- 

 stairs Passage, a strong north-east blow was met, which put 

 landing there out of the question, so a course was made for 

 the Spit, near Kingscote. This is a low sandbank, between 

 two and three miles long and a few feet only above high-water 

 mark. It almost completely closes the entrance to the Bay 

 of Shoals, and is covered with stunted bushes and sea grasses. 

 The afternoon was spent here, and next morning a start made 

 for the Althorpes Islands. These are two small and one large 

 islands in Investigator Straits. The large one, about 300 

 feet high, has a lighthouse on it. We landed first on one of 

 the small islands, where we found seals plentiful and tame. 

 Several photos, were taken by Capt. White. I regret to say 

 that numbers of dried carcases were found on the higher parts 

 of the island, the shell of a rifle cartridge showing that some 

 miscreant had been amusing himself by shooting these inte- 

 resting and harmless animals, and leaving their bodies to 

 rot where they fell. We next visited the big Althorp, and 

 climbed its almost perpendicular sides to visit the great 

 mutton bird rookerv on the summit. The next move was 



