MORGAN — Ornithological Trip, St. Vincent and Spencer Gulfs. 145 



silver gulls. We saw two so doing on this trip. They after- 

 wards descended to the water, but we could not ascertain if 

 they secured any booty. The stomach contents were: — Dark 

 bird — Remains of a small crab, one broken and one unbroken 

 dead sea shell ; Light bird — Small piece of crab's claw, one 

 broken and one whole dead sea shell. The stomach contents 

 seem to indicate that they go ashore at night to feed. I have 

 never seen them; do so in the daytime, in fact, when following 

 a steamer they usually leave when about two miles from land. 



Measurements. — Light bird — Total length, 40.5 cm.; 

 wing, axilla to tip, 48 cm.; spread, tip to tip, 108 cm. Iris, 

 dark brown; legs and feet, black; nails, curved and sharp. 

 Dark bird — Total length, 40.5 emu; wing, 50.5 cm.; spread, 

 114 cm. Weight, 1 lb. Soft parts as in. the light form. 



Temperatures.— Light form 102.4° F; dark bird, 106.2° F. 

 The light bird was the younger, judging by ,the incomplete 

 ossification of the posterior border of the sternum. The light 

 bird had an extra pair of cervical ribs, making nine in all, to 

 the dark birds's eight pairs. 



15. Haematopus ostraelgus longirostris — Pied Oyster 

 Catcher.— Seen at the Spit and Troubridge Island. They like 

 mud banks and sand spits rather than rocky coasts. The 

 Messrs. Golley say they rarely come to Wedge Island, where 

 there is only one small stretch of sandy beach. They were 

 not breeding. 



16. Haematopus niger fulginosus — Sooty Oyster Catcher. — ■ 

 Seen at the Spit, Althorpe Islands, Pondalowie Bay, Gambier 

 and Wedge Islands. Much more common on rocky coasts 

 than on flats. The Messrs. Golley say they breed on the rocks 

 at Wedge Island. 



17. Lobibyx novaehoUandiae — Spur-winged Plover. — Seen 

 at Pondalowie Bay and Wedgelsland. 



18. Zonifer tricolor — Black-breasted Plover. — A email 

 flock seen on Wedge Island. 



19. Lucopolius ruficapilla— Bed-capped Dotterel. — Num- 

 bers seen on the Spit and Troubridge Island. A few behaved 

 as though nesting, but no eggs or young were seen. 



20. Charadrius cucullatus — Hooded Dotterel. — Seen at the 

 Spit, Wedge Island, and Troubridge Island. They were in; 

 pairs, but not nesting. They were not numerous anywhere. 



