ii8 
The Kmu. 
Laughing Jackass breaks suddenly forth from his solemnity 
into a mad burst of merriment, with chortle after chortle of 
" Gou-gour-gah-gah 1 gou-gour-gah-gah ! " 
Australian Birds at Sea. 
By George Carrick (s.s. Gidf of Genoa). 
The actual difficulties to be surmounted on ship-board during 
the transit of birds from the Antipodes to Europe are many 
and varied, and probably a rough sketch of the average trip 
may be of interest to bird-lovers. 
Having selected your stock and received the same on board, 
all seems well while on the coast, with nice warm weather and 
plenty of sunshine, but after leaving Adelaide and clearing 
Kangaroo Island the land dips to the north-west, while the ship 
keeps on her westerly course, and immediately plunges into the 
Great Australian Bight, with its very changeable and boisterous 
weather — the thermometer invariably dropping, often 15'' to 20° 
in one night. The sky becomes overcast, heavy weather sets 
in, and the ship starts plunging and rolling heavily. The cages 
and boxes are stacked away as snugly as possible, but always in 
some corner where the only light they have is through a 
lO-inch or 12-inch porthole, which, with every other roll of the 
ship, is under water. So little light penetrates the cage that 
one is often glad when dusk sets in, and the electric light is 
turned on to give the birds sufficient light to see their food. 
Occasionally, too, to add to your difficulties and to the dis- 
comfort of the birds, one of the boxes breaks adrift, and you 
find it generally face down on the floor, with sand, seed, and 
water in a pulp, sticking all over the cage, and sand tray at an 
angle of 45° in the box. This state of affairs often lasts from 
three to five days. 
After rounding Cape Leeuwin you meet with more genial 
weather, and have the stock removed to some sheltered spot, as 
near the open as possible, as it is yet too cold to take them 
right out on the deck, especially Gouldian Finches, which, when 
freshly caged, I find the most sensitive to cold. They will 
rarely stand a less temperature than 75°. At 70' they get 
ruffled up, with their head tucked under the wing, and drop off 
rapidly. After a few more days the weather gets quite warm, 
and it is perfectly safe to have the stock transferred to the open, 
and, needless to say, the birds thoroughly enjoy the warmth, 
fresh air, and daylight. In a week's time you begin to con- 
gratulate yourself on the condition of the stock, when you are 
plunged into the stifling, moist atmosphere of the Indian Ocean, 
from thence to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. During this 
period Gouldians improve daily, but most other specimens feel 
it very trying, gasping all day for breath, and resting on the 
