of adults departing from and returning
to the rookery. The direction in which they travelled was north, towards
open water, estimated to be twenty miles distant. Although more than
once the adults' return to the rookery was carefully noted, we never saw
the young birds being fed, old birds as they entered the rookery quietly
going to sleep.

Hoadley, on his first visit to the island, had seen Antarctic petrels
flying about, and a search revealed a large rookery of these on the
eastern side. The nesting-place of this species of petrel had never
before been discovered, and so we were all elated at the great find.
About three hundred birds were found sitting in the gullies and clefts,
as close together as they could crowd. They made no attempt to form
nests, merely laying their eggs on the shallow dirt. Each bird had one
egg about the same size as that of a domestic fowl. Incubation was far
advanced, and some difficulty was experienced in blowing the specimens
with a blow-pipe improvised from a quill. Neither the Antarctic nor
any other petrels offered any resistance when disturbed on their nests,
except by the expectoration of large quantities of a pink or green, oily
fluid.

The Cape pigeons had just commenced laying when we arrived at the
island. On the first day only two eggs were found, but, on the fourth
day after our arrival, forty were collected. These birds make a small
shallow nest with chips of stone.

The silver-grey or Southern Fulmar petrels were present in large
numbers, especially about the steep north-eastern side of the island.
Though they were mated, laying had scarcely commenced, as we found only
two eggs. They made small grottoes in the snow-drifts, and many pairs
were seen billing and cooing in such shelters.

The small Wilson petrels were found living in communities under slabs
of rock, and Hoadley one afternoon thought he heard some young birds
crying.

Skua gulls were present in considerable force, notably near the penguin
rookeries. They were breeding at the time, laying their eggs on the soil
near the summit of the island. The neighbourhood of a nest was always
betrayed by the behaviour of these birds who, when we intruded on them,
came swooping down as if to attack us.

Although many snow petrels were seen flying about, we found only one
with an egg. The nests were located in independent rocky niches but
never in rookeries.

Vegetable life existed in the form of algae, in the pools, li