SHY MOLLYMAWK. 
On approaching very close to the birds they would partly stand up on 
their nests, leaning backwards and apparently resting the tail on the edge of 
the nest, and facing the intruder. When one was within two feet of them, 
they would utter a loud, cackling noise, shaking their heads up and down, and 
opening and shutting their beaks rapidly. A considerable noise was made by 
the mandibles coming together, and at the same time a strong-smelling, oily 
secretion was thrown up. In order to secure an egg, the beak of the bird 
was held in one hand and the egg taken with the other. The bird would sit 
or stand on its nest for some time after the egg had been removed. 
The orange-coloured strip of bare skin which goes from the corners of the 
mouth towards the back of the head, was noticed only when the bird was 
disturbed and opened its beak wide to eject the oily substance. The use of 
bare skin seems to be to enable the bird to open its mouth much wider than it 
otherwise could, for the purpose of letting the young bird put its head well 
inside the mouth of the parent when being fed. 
The birds often have difficulty in alighting on a particular spot when the 
wind is blowing strongly on to their breeding-grounds from the sea, as they 
always fly against the wind when desiring to alight ; and they sometimes try 
seven or eight times before they can successfully accomplish their object. 
They come up with considerable force, holding their heads well back and 
stretching out their expanded feet at the same time, and the fact of having 
their wings half-closed gives them a very ungainly appearance. If there 
is Only a light breeze they can alight easily enough, although they often 
stumble before gaining a proper foothold. Whenever the birds flew ofi they 
always shook their tails from side to side a few times, and when excreta was 
passed while flying they did the same thing. 
All the eggs hatch out within a few days. The young are very fat and 
helpless, and if held up by their legs a small amount of oil runs out of their 
mouths. When feeding they put their head right into the parent’s mouth, their 
food consisting of an oily substance. 
On a warm day the parent-bird was often noticed partly standing up in the 
nest and leaning backwards, so as to leave the chick uncovered, for coolness, 
and also to let the little one sit up and move about in the nest. One of the 
adults is always at the nest, the young are never seen alone. \ 
The birds sit very close on their single egg. This is kept in a kind of 
longitudinal bag, bare of feathers, just below the breast-bone, into which the 
egg flts, and is consequently very warm. Even when the bird half stands up 
in the nest the egg cannot always be seen, but when the bird moves about 
it falls out of this bag. The nests being dry, the eggs keep fairly clean. 
The bird figured and described was collected off the Australian coast. 
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