THE IBIS. 
SEVENTH SERIES. 
No. XXI. JANUARY 1900. 
I.— Field-notes on the Birds of Kerguelen Island. 
By Robert Hall (of Melbourne, Australia). 
Many of my readers are probably aware that Kerguelen, 
also called the Island of Desolation, is situated in the South 
Indian Ocean, on the 50th parallel of latitude, and nearly 
equidistant from Africa and Australia. Lying within the 
Antarctic drift-current, as well as being entirely destitute of 
trees and shrubs, and mostly snow-clad, the avifauna of 
Kerguelen is limited (with two exceptions) to Orders that are 
able to exist without vegetable food. The two species which 
occupy a somewhat anomalous position on the island are 
the Duck and the Sheathbill, the latter being the only bird 
in the list which is not web-footed. 
I took advantage of a summer expedition made in the 
sealing-brig ‘ Edward/ by the invitation of Mr. Hans 
Gundersen, and accompanied those who were engaged in 
commercial enterprise, in order to do what I could towards 
an increase of knowledge of the fauna and flora of this 
island, the largest uninhabited area at a distance from any 
continent. 
Capt. Cook commenced the work here in 1776, and Sir 
James Ross continued it in 1840. In 1874 expeditions 
to watch the “Transit of Venus'’'’ were sent to Kerguelen 
by Great Britain, Germany, and the United States, and the 
SER. VII.—VOL. VI. B 
