ove where is established a giant petrel rookery
containing about four hundred birds, and gathered a large number of
eggs--purely specimens, as they are no use otherwise.

The 'Rachel Cohen' finally left us on the 8th, expecting to pay another
visit in December for the purpose of taking off the sea elephant oil
procured by the sealers. Sandell and I visited the gentoo penguin colony
in Aerial Cove during the afternoon, for the purpose of getting a few
eggs. We found plenty there and collected as many as we required. On
returning to the empty nests, the birds would first of all peer round
to assure themselves that the eggs were really missing, and then throw
their heads back, swaying them from side to side to the accompaniment of
loud, discordant cries.

Several of us started out on the 10th to visit the west coast for
the purpose of getting some wekas and, incidentally, to make any
observations possible. We saw thousands of sea elephants along the coast
and passed many rookeries of various sizes. There were a large number of
wekas about, but after shooting fourteen we were satisfied with our bag.

A westerly gale during the night proved too much for the aerial, and
down it came. Blake and Hamilton were away, so Sawyer, Sandell and I
went up, and after much battling and frequent use of the "handy billy"
succeeded in fixing things. We also re-tightened the wire stays and
thoroughly overhauled the ropes. Snow and sleet fell all the time,
making the task most disagreeable.

About the middle of the month the Royal penguins commenced to lay, and
on the 17th Sandell and I went to their rookeries at "The Nuggets" and
collected about fifteen dozen eggs, which we buried in a hole in the
bank of the creek for preservation. This species of penguin is the one
which is killed for oil, not because it is any fatter than the others,
but because it lives in such large colonies. There is one rookery of
these birds on the south end of the island which covers an area of
sixteen and a half acres, whilst at "The Nuggets" there are numbers
of them scattered along the banks of a creek which reaches the sea,
aggregating ten acres. At the latter place are situated the oil works
belonging to the sealers.

From careful observation I should say that the number of birds killed
during the season would not total one hundred and fifty thousand. The
method of killing--by blows from a heavy club--is about as humane as any
that could be adopted, and th