10 
Mr. R. Hall on the 
inches, with a depth of 4 inches. Broken bones and eggs 
are scattered around it, but not in any ornamental way. The 
young are without spots in the fledgeling stage. They are 
early taught to leave the nest on signs of danger, when they 
will crouch in the grass a few yards away. In this stage 
they are brownish grey, with black bill and slate-coloured 
legs. When the young are nearly as large as the parents, 
and are ready to learn to fly, they exercise their legs by 
jumping directly upwards a few inches, with wings expanded 
against the wind, and this antic is accompanied by a jerky, 
continuous, and plaintive high note. Most of the nests 
contained young birds by New Year’s day. One nest w'as 
supported by a whaler’s wooden tomb-memorial on Grave 
Island, Royal Sound. I did not notice any yellow on the 
nape and neck of the young, indicative of a connection with 
the M. maccormicki of the Antarctic region proper. 
Larus dominicanus Licht.; Saunders, Cat, R. xxv. p. 245. 
Royal Sound is the principal haunt of the Southern Black- 
backed Gull, and no other harbour here compares with it 
for numbers. I say this after visiting the most important 
shelters on the east and south-east coasts, where we found 
this Gull far from plentiful. The killing of seals soon * 
affords a sure indication of the relative abundance of this 
species, as at this season the birds of each fjord keep to 
themselves. I think they fear to venture far out in the 
open, for they are not very strong on the wing, and when 
a storm arises they invariably float on the water, keeping 
within the kelp, which grows a mile out from the beaches. 
In this way hundreds may be seen, riding-out a gale. 
For variety of position the bird will stand for some time 
upon the kelp, and to do this it does not fold its wings 
for a while, but, like a boat under sail, it will incline for-* 
ward, until a sure footing on the weed is obtained. It 
maintains the usual reputation of the sea-bird for clamour, 
and the clear echo of its calls may be heard resounding from 
the heavy basalt cliffs of Murray Island. 
The young crouch on the rocks for evasion when a human 
being passes, and the whole flock call from above as if they 
