558 



SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF NEW ZEALAND. 



[Aves. 



thus destroyed, the resulting odour apparently not seriously inconveniencing the 

 birds. 



At the period of my visit to Antipodes Island most of the birds had hatched 

 their eggs, and the young ones attempted to hide themselves by crouching close to 

 the ground or crawling into a crevice. Meantime the parent birds swooped down 

 quite close to us, and with loud screams essayed to drive us away. I struck one 

 with the rim of my hand-net as it flew past, but another bird whose young one I had 

 picked up knocked off my cap, which I hastily replaced. 



m 



Fig. 8. — Skua Gulls {Catharacta aiitarctiea) at the Carcase of a Seal, Endebby Island, Auckland Islands. 



When drawing the seine net we were always objects of interest to the skuas. 

 They alighted close to us, and walked over the net as it lay on the beach. When 

 driven away they flew but a short distance, and soon returned. It was not safe to 

 leave anything in the way of specimens on the beach : a shag obtained by a member 

 of the party being rendered useless by a couple of sea-hawks after a few minutes' 

 engagement. 



A member of the party having obtained a special permit to secure a seal for 

 scientific purposes, one of these animals was killed at Enderby Island, and the carcase, 

 minus the head, was left on the beach. This immediately attracted a number of 

 skua gulls. One bird took possession by standing on the carcase, and in the most 



