Page:The Emu volume 21.djvu/401

 the entrance to Albany Harbour. Here we found numerous Little Penguins, in some cases sitting on eggs, in others with young birds in varying stages of growth. Under one shelf of rock a large group of adult birds was observed. Grant discovered a number of small burrows, similar to those excavated by the White-faced Storm-Petrel, but uninhabited, and evidently abandoned for some months. The burrows were only from six to eight inches in depth, the soil being hard and gravelly. There was a nest-chamber and some traces of an old nest of broken-up reeds, and spiders' webs were spun over some of the entrances. This may be a deserted breeding-place of the White-faced Storm-Petrel, occupied in the 1920 season, and abandoned for some reason; or else it may be that of another small Petrel which breeds in May or June. No trace of Mutton Birds was seen, although one Albany resident informed me that he had taken a case of their eggs from this island early in one December!

The weather was mostly cold, wet, and boisterous during our stay at Albany, but we made several excursions into the coastal scrubs. White-bearded and White-fronted Honey-eaters, and Green-backed White-eye were noted, a solitary Collared Sparrow-Hawk (Accipiter cirrhocephalus), and along the shore, some Sandpipers (Actitis hypoleucus), and Pacific Gulls.

We left Albany at 1.30 p.m. on November 23rd in the 500-ton Government steamer Eucla, a first-class little sea boat with a good table, but indifferent cabin accommodation. Point Rich was our first port, the steamer lying in the roadstead and taking cargo off and on in the boats. Bremer Bay was reached at 4 a.m. next morning, and on our way out I saw Glassy Island, said to be inhabited by hundreds of Gulls and Mutton Birds. As there are no locally owned boats, a visit to this island could only be made by taking a vessel from Albany. It is quite a small islet, rocky, steep at the sides, with a little vegetation on the top. Landing would be extremely difficult, unless in exceptionally fine weather. Doubtful Islands were passed at 8 a.m. They consist of two large granite islands, the larger about half a mile in length. A landing could be effected on the larger island in fine weather, and the ascent from the spot I examined through my binoculars appeared comparatively easy, although the remainder of the coastline was extremely steep. There is a quantity of low scrub on the eastern side and over parts of the summit, which would offer good shelter for Petrels. The only way in which this group could be investigated would be by chartering a boat from Albany to Bremer Bay, and working out from there as the weather permitted—a distance of about twelve miles of open sea.

We arrived at Hopetoun, the port of the Ravensthorpe Copper Mines, at 1 p.m., and remained there five hours. The only birds seen were the White-faced Ternlet and the White-bearded Honey-eater. After a rough night at sea, we reached Esperance at 6 a.m. on the 25th. This is a very old settlement. At one