THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
exactly seven minutes, it came out and flew away. Odd birds came in until twelve 
o’clock, and apparently stragglers continued to arrive later, as on waking up 
at 2 a.m. we still saw an odd bird or two ; but I had an idea that these were birds 
too timid to enter their burrows, alongside which we were rolled up in our rugs. 
Being curious to know what the young Petrels were fed on, we captured a bird 
just as it was entering a burrow, killed it, and took from its throat a pasty 
substance which looked and smelt not unlike the bloater paste of commerce. 
We also took a young bird from a burrow, and found its stomach abnormally 
extended with this substance, the only solid portion of which we identified 
as being part of a small shrimp. When the birds alight at the burrows they 
commence to scratch exactly like the Mutton-bird does.” 
The birds described were obtained on Mud Island in February, 1908, by 
Mr. Frank E. Howe, who gave me the specimens. 
