. The Australian Museum magazine. Natural history. 142 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM The Pierced Rock, South Tollgate Island. Basset Hull. the Narooma lifeboat after half an hour of perching on the upturned boat in the surf. About 40 miles north of Montagne Island the Tollgate Islands lie oft Bate- man's Bay. There are two islets, high and steep, separated by a narrow strait. Each islet presents an almost sheer rocky face to the sea, and sloijes rather abruptly to the landward side, whei-e the beach renders landing easy in calm weather. On the southern islet there is a pierced rock jutting
. The Australian Museum magazine. Natural history. 142 THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM The Pierced Rock, South Tollgate Island. Basset Hull. the Narooma lifeboat after half an hour of perching on the upturned boat in the surf. About 40 miles north of Montagne Island the Tollgate Islands lie oft Bate- man's Bay. There are two islets, high and steep, separated by a narrow strait. Each islet presents an almost sheer rocky face to the sea, and sloijes rather abruptly to the landward side, whei-e the beach renders landing easy in calm weather. On the southern islet there is a pierced rock jutting out from a sandspit. On these two islets I found Little Penguins, Wedgo- tailed Shearwaters, and White-faced Storm Petrels (Pelagodroma marina) breeding, the last named species in small numbers only. The Penguins had eggs, fresh and heavily incubated, or young- birds in varying stages of growth. The Shearwaters had been working on their burrows, but had not started laying. There were large numbers of these bur- rows in the sandy soil on top of the islets; probably some thousands of birds breed there annually. There were traces of another burrowing bird, the burrows being short and untenanted. There is possibly a colony of Prions breeding late in the year. Northward again from the Tollgates for a distance of 15 miles brings one to Brush Island. This island I visited by way of Nowra, Milton, and LTUadulla, tak- ing a launch from the latter port for the 15 mile trip south. On the way down I met with the Fluttering Petrel (Puffinus gavia) in fairly It^rge numbers. The birds secured were of such a different colour to the illustrations and descriptions of this species that I gave a new name to the Ulladulla bird {Emii, vol. xv., p. 206), The bright colour, however, faded some- what, and intermediate shades from blue to brown having been recorded, my new name sinks into a synonym. Brush or Murramurang Island lies barely half a mile off Murramurang H ead, an jakl-time camping ground of
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