160 PROF. W. J. DAKIN : EXPEDITION TO THE 



Several species of birds were nesting on the Wallaby Islands, and an 

 account of the species recorded is given in Mr. Alexander's paper. The 

 following remarks may be made here in reference to the photographs taken 

 by the author. A large number of birds had congregated for nesting pur- 

 poses on the west shore of the West Wallaby Island, several species occurring 

 together. At one place there were several hundred nests of the Pied Cor- 

 morant (Hypoleucus varius hypoleucus, Brandt), all built of broken twigs 

 and branches from some neighbouring bushes, and erected in close contact 

 on the snndy shore. Our arrival was the signal for the departure of the 

 birds, but the less shy Gulls, undisturbed by our presence, took the opportu- 

 nity of feasting upon the eggs. Close to the Cormorant colony, Caspian 

 Terns, Pacific Gulls, and Silver Gulls were nesting. The eggs were simply 

 laid in slight hollows in the sand amongst stray pieces of mollusc shells. 

 Reference has already been made to the Mutton-bird excavations. The birds 

 must occur in thousands on the Abrolhos Islands wherever the rock is covered 

 with sand in which they can burrow. 



Several species of insects were captured on the islands, but the collection 

 has not yet been worked up. The ant keeps up its West Australian reputa- 

 tion and is present everywhere, on the smallest islands as well as on the 

 larger. 



The Marine Fauna of the Wallaby Group. 



The first place to be examined was Turtle Bay on the north of E;ist 

 Wallaby Island. The bottom was for the most part sandy with groves 

 of Algae, species of Codium being particularly abundant. Zostera also 

 occurs here in large quantities. Except for a few Amphipods, both 

 Algse and Zostera were very barren. The shore sand contained a large 

 percentage of Foraminifera of which Orbitolites was the most common. 

 The very chnracteristic Heterostegina of the Ceylon sands appeared to 

 be absent altogether. Nothing of particular interest was obtained on the 

 reef-flat on the east side of East Wallaby Island. Yermetus was very 

 abundant, a few sponges and Crustacea occurred, and the coral limestone 

 was bored by Lithodomus and Gephyrea. We used our chloride of lime for 

 capturing fish in the rock-pools with some success here, but unfortunately 

 our work was cut short by bad weather which caused so much disturbance 

 of the water on the reef-flat, that it was impossible to poison the fish — they 

 moved with the waves to other pools ! Our best shore-collecting was carried 

 out on the lagoon side of a small island (loose coral fragments heaped by 

 waves) on the outer reef, about li miles to the east of the extreme S.E. 

 point of West Wallaby Island. A long spit composed of small blocks of 

 coral runs out from this island and is entirely submerged at high tide. The 

 lagoon bottom to the north of the island was of sand, but with very fine 

 growths of coral here and there, the two species most abundant being the 



