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LEWIS, Mutton-Birds of Phillip Island ocT 
Observations on the Mutton-birds of 
Phillip Island, Victoria 
By F. LEWIS, R.A.O.U., Acting Chief Inspector, Fisheries and 
Game Department, Melbourne. 
On Phillip Island Mutton-birds, or Short-tailed Petrels 
(Puffinus tenuirostris) generally begin to arrive about November 
20, for the purpose of laying, although the full flight does not 
take place until the 26th, and it is at its maximum from that 
date until November 30th. The first birds arrive at their nesting- 
places just after sundown. The actual time of arrival at the 
most outstanding place on the island, vis., Cape Woolamai, being 
about 7.45 p.m., on November 30th, but as the days lengthen the 
time of arrival gets a little later. The birds continue to arrive 
until about 9 p.m. At first the flight is silent, but after about 
a quarter of an hour occasional calls are heard both from the 
birds overhead and from those in the burrows. Gradually the 
calling increases in volume until in half an hour’s time the whole 
rookery is in quite a turmoil of screeches, calls and cooings. 
This gradually quietens down, although the volume of sound may 
rise again at intervals during the night. A number of the 
birds seem to sit about on the surface of the ground all night, 
scarcely moving at all, while some walk around quietly and 
slowly. All the burrows seem to be occupied. Many of the 
birds in the burrows make much effort to clear out the loose sand, 
but practically no attempt is made by the birds on the surface 
to commence new burrows. Some few birds, which apparently 
cannot find unoccupied burrows, investigate a few holes, but, 
finding them occupied, sit quietly on the ground. Most of 
these birds sitting about on the ground were found on examin¬ 
ation to contain eggs. Owing to the fact that the drifting of 
loose sand on all the rookeries is now serious (during 1923 
the blown sand covered up two or three of the large rookeries 
and is gradually extending across the Cape itself), many birds 
which last year had burrows in these areas are now without 
homes. The birds make little or no effort to clear out the bur¬ 
rows which are covered with loose sand, probably realising that 
it would not be safe to do so. 
The departure of the birds begins at the first sign of dawn. 
They are not then nearly so noisy as at the time of arrival, al¬ 
though in every burrow birds can be heard chattering and cooing. 
On leaving the burrows the birds make straight for a clear place 
to take off, preferring if available a steep sand-blow or a cliff. 
A few vigorous flaps of the wings are given, and the bird then 
rises with a slight jump. It is quite possible, however, and not 
at all an infrequent practice, for the birds to take off from a 
clear flat area. It seems desirable for the bird to have a take-off 
ground as clear as possible to get its run, just as an aeroplane 
