president's address. 177 



considerable numbers flying over the lower parts. The near- 

 ness to the rock was evidenced by the odour it gave off. 

 The Cormorants slowly took wing as the party landed, and 

 ascended to the nests. These numbered probably over one 

 hundred, but many were empty, and others contained small 

 numbers of fresh eggs. With one exception the birds hatched 

 had not been more than a day or two out of the shell. The 

 young birds with their tough looking bare skins appear at a 

 first glance more like rubber toys than anything else. As we 

 left the Island we observed three or four birds carrying 

 material for nests. These are early nesting birds, and the 

 backward state of the nests, eggs, and young clearly indicated 

 serious interference before our visit, and amply demonstrated 

 the accuracy of the report which had reached us from a 

 member of the Coast Club who visited the Islands on the 8th 

 of June, namely, that two of the boats' crews landed on the 

 Island, and observing that Cormorants consumed numbers of 

 fish, threw many of the eggs against the rock, into other nests, 

 and into the sea. Most of these eggs were about hatching. 

 They piled several nests on the top of each other, and giving 

 effect to their views "protected" the fish as far as time would 

 allow. Not less than a third of the eggs were destroyed. 

 This conduct was reported to the Watcher on the Fame, who 

 said he had named the subject to the Secretary of the Associa- 

 tion now leasing the Islands, and as a larger boat would be 

 necessary to go to the Megstone, and as when he was away 

 the eggs of the Sandwich Terns might be taken, nothing could 

 be done. If this persecution of the Cormorant continues I am 

 afraid the Megstone will loose the very great interest it has 

 always had for the ornithologist. It is, however, much more 

 pleasant to record that several of the birds have made their 

 nests, and are rearing their young on the Big Harcar, where 

 I trust they will be better guarded. I was glad to be informed 

 the Shag, always a scarce bird here, was nesting this year on 

 the Harcar, but we had commenced our sea journey too late 

 to visit the rock. 



We next landed on the historical Fame, and inspected its 



