MUTTON-BIRD 
43 
profile or a peculiar crispness in the hair ; in colour 
they exhibit as many shades as there are between 
chocolate and cream. What they do not know about 
the Mutton-bird, at least as to that part of its life 
which is passed in Bass Straits, would not be worth 
recording. 
Here I may say that where the birds go between 
April and September nobody knows with certainty. 
Provisionally, we may say that they go somewhere in 
the Pacific to the north ; for migrate they undoubtedly 
do, and most birds breed at the colder end of their 
migratory journey. Then, about mid-September, 
having probably already mated, they arrive at their 
numerous breeding-islands in the Straits, to clean 
out their long rabbit-like burrows in the sandy soil 
among the snake-infested tussocks. Day and night 
the spring-cleaning continues, clouds of dust marking 
the openings to the burrows. Then there is a short 
recess, during which the birds go out to sea. 
In the third week of November they begin to return, 
continuing to arrive in increasing numbers, till the 
great body comes swarming in after what the islanders 
call the " Mutton-bird Gale," about the 25th. The 
hen bird lays her egg and then goes to sea for a week 
while her lord keeps the house, she perhaps returning 
for the nights, as he does next week, when it is his 
turn off duty. So it goes on till the egg is hatched 
at the end of eight weeks. Fed assiduously by its 
parents — each pair have but one offspring — the young 
Mutton-bird waxes exceeding fat, till by mid-April 
