THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Dr. Ramsay,* writing on the birds of North-east Queensland, records: 
“ I found this noble species rather plentiful on the mud-flats and margins 
of many of the rivers at low tides. They ascend the rivers in company with 
Xema jamesoni to a considerable distance. I noticed several pairs near the 
wharfs at Rockhampton.” 
Messrs. Cox and Hamiltonf report this bird from Mudgee, New South 
Wales, as follows : “A large number of these birds appeared, with a few of 
the following species {Larus novce-hollandice) on the river at Beaudesert, and 
on the dams, especially a sludge dam, at Canadian Lead, in 1885 and 1886, 
about Christmas.” 
Ronald Gunn,J in his MS. journal, is quoted as giving the following : 
“ Abundant on the sea-coast and about Georgetown, it is also not unfrequent 
on the Tamar as high as Launceston, where the salt water ceases.” 
Mr. A. J. North§ says : “ It is common in all the bays and inlets, and 
along the coast. It may be frequently observed about Sydney Harbour and 
on the Parramatta River.” 
Mr. G. A. Heartland 1 1 observes : “ Birds of this species in aU stages of 
plumage, from the dark brown young to the pure white and black adult, may 
be seen in Hobson’s Bay disputing with the Silver GuUs for the offal thrown 
from the vessels at the piers.” 
Mr. Frank M. Littler,^ writing on Tasmanian Birds, says : “ Next to 
the Silver Gull, Larus novce-hollandice, this species is perhaps the most 
familiar sea-bird found round our coast. At no time, however, does it 
congregate in as large flocks as the previous species, on whose eggs and 
young it wages relentless war during the breeding season. 
“ On Ninth Island, where there are large rookeries of white-faced Storm 
Petrels {Pelagodroma marina) I found that the Pacific Gull was responsible 
for the death of great numbers of this dainty little Petrel, for on moonlight 
nights it could both be seen and heard ‘ hawking ’ over the rookeries, and 
every now and then pouncing down on a bird. It is a noble bird on the wing, 
reminding one much of the Swamp-Hawk {Circus gouldi) in the manner in 
which it sails in great circles, and, in small companies, hawks backwards 
and forwards over the same ground. When progressing at what might be 
termed an ordinary rate of speed, it beats the air with its wings 100 times in 
* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1877, p. 347. 
t Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., Vol. XIV., p. 422, 1889. 
X Bull. Liverpool Mus., No. 2, p. 58, 1900. 
§ Birds County Cumber., p. 113, 1898. 
II Birds Melb. Distr., p. 119, 1900. 
^ Handb. Birds Tasm., p. 154, 1910. 
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