SOME
ACCOUNT
OF
THE
MUTTON
BIRDS,
OR
SOOTY
PETRELS
(NECTBIS
BBEVICAUDUS),
AS
SEEN
IN
THEIR
HOMES
AMONG
THE
FURNEAUX
ISLANDS,
BASS
STRAITS,
TAS-MANIA,
FROM
NOTES
TAKEN
DURING
A
VISIT
TO
THE
LOCALITY
IN
MARCH,
1891.By
H. H.
Montgomery,
D.D.,Bishop
of Tasmania.My
duties called nielastMarch
to undertakea trip to theFurneaux
Islands. Before Istarted Iwas
aware that oneof the most interesting subjects for an ornithologist in that partofthe colony
would
be the habits of themutton
bird.But
thereality so far surpassedmy
expectations that Ihave venturedto lay before the Societysome
results ofmy
obser-vations. Mr. J. B.
Walker
hasshown
me
allusions to the subject inold booksof travel. Mr. Barnard has been goodenough
to furnishme
with the second volume of theTas-manian
Journal, in which a short but excellent account isgiven of the habits of the sootypetrel, or
mutton
bird, byMr. R.
H.
Davies.As
the paperwas
written 45 yearsago it
may
be worth while putting on recordwhat
Inow
proposetolay before you. Thesepetrels choose islandswherethe soil is
composed
of a loose sand,covered inplacesby
abush
with a blue flower called "barilla," where they congre-gateforthepurposeofdiggingthe holesinwhichtheylay their eggs. Ihave heardofa rookery in PortDavey
:and
among
the Hunters Islands they breed on Trefoil, Sheephead, Doughboys,
and
the Petrels.On
the northern coast thereused to be large
numbers
onWaterhouse
Island, until the pigs keptby
Mr. Barrett foundthem
out, and destroyedsuch vast quantities that the birds deserted the place,
and
now
there arejusta few which are carefullypreserved.In the
Furneaux
group theyusedto breed inmuch
greaternumbers
than at present,and
I venture to hope that thechiefeffect of thispaper
may
be a timelymovement
by theGovernment
to savefrom
almost utter destruction anin-dustry which adds distinctly to the wealth of the colony,
and
supplies a healthy article offood.At
present themost
importanthomes
ofthese birds in thebreeding season areChappell Island (called usually
"Hummocky,"
because of the hill in the centre), Little*Dog
and
BigDog
Island,Green
Islandand
Little Green Island, and Babel Island. These places are nothingmore
than low sandy spots,from
300to 1,200 acres in extent, with hardlya tree (except on
Big
Dog
Island), and covered with long2 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
MUTTON
BIRDS, ETC.yellow grass growing
up
to thewaist.Most
uninvitinglook-ing spots thev appear to be.
As
you passthem
in thedaytimeyou might fairly suppose that there was noliving
thing
upon them
except an occasional shag or a Pacific gull. I havethoughtthat a sailorwrecked on one of theselittle wave-beaten spots might even starve if he slept
soundly at night, ignorant that under his feet there lay
concealedhundredsof thousands of birds,which,
when
eatenfresh, are
among
themost delicious of foods.About
themiddleof September the sooty petrels visit these breeding
places, comingin at night and remaining
some
tendays, in order to dig their holes.They
effect this with their feet, scattering thesand behindthem
in clouds.When
thispre-liminary taskisfinishedthey leave theirfuture nests forfour orfive weeks,
and
arenot seenat allin the neighbourhood. In the middle ofNovember
theycommence
laying eggs. Mr. E. D. Atkinson has taken fresh eggs onNovember
21.Whether
themalesfeed the mother birds duringthe periodofincubation I donotknow.
But
asthemales return everyevening it is probable that they do. Onlyone eggis laid by
each female, andit is doubtfulwhether in thecase of the
egg being destroyed anotheris laid. I failed to enquire at
what
period the youngbird ishatchedout, butI gather thatit
must
be at thecommencement
ofJanuary.On
the 3rd ofMarch
Ilanded on LittleDog
Island, and receivedmy
firstintroductionto thesemost interesting sea birds.
At
6 p.m. not amutton
bird was in sight. Indeed, duringthefort-night that I
was
cruising aboutina boat I neversawa petrel inthe daytime anywhere. It is their habit to flyaway
to seaveryearly in the morning to distances40and 50milesaway,returning only
when
itis dusk.Whether
theyhavelongago clearedthe immediately surroundingwaters of the food they require I cannot say; butit is a surprising fact
thatnot oneofthe oldbirdsisevervisiblein the
neighbour-hood
of theiryoung
throughouttheday.Walking
abouton
a rookery is a matter ofno
mean
difficulty.The
ground,always loose and powdery, is everywhere perforated with holes
from
two to three feetdeep, about the diameterofarabbit-burrow.
Among
the long grass it is almostim-possible toprevent crushing
down
the sand and endaugeringthelivesofthe
young
birds by suffocation, atthesame
time falling headlong oneself. Just at sunset I was invitedto go
some
two hundred yardsup
on to the higherground—
the island is only 200 acres in extent—
inorderto see the birds
come
in. I shall never forget thatwas
no indication that there was a living thingon
theisland. There were nocriesofsea birds.
The
stillnesswas
wonderful. Presently a single dark-winged form flitted across the island and vanished again into the gloom. In
another ten seconds thousands
upon
thousands of birdsseemed to spring like magic
up
out of the darknessfrom
every quarter without warning or cry of any kind.
And
now
backwardsand
forwards beforemy
dazzledsightIsaw
these countlessdark shadowsshootingwithlightningrapidity athwart the last of the evening light. Still no articulate sound washeard. Nothing but the whistle as if ofbullet after bullet through the air, bewildering onewiththe sense of
numbers
and of mysterious rushing life. Repeatedly abirdwould dash within an inchof
my
head,and
then wheel likelightningto one side to escape acollision. Soimminent
seemedthe danger of arriving athome
minus
an ear oranose from contact with a sharp beak that I was fain to crouch
down
in the long grass to escapean accident.To
sit
down
onthe groundon thatparticular islandwas
possiblebecause therewere no snakes. Nothing
would
have inducedme
to have takenup
thesame
position in themonth
ofMarch
hadIbeenupon
theisland called "Hummocky."
But
ofthis hereafter.
The
minutespassed,and
stillthis dizzy, whirling, hurly-burly of creatures continued—
silent,and
evenawe-inspiring. Sometimes theycame
in squadrons of hundreds, sometimes by tens.But
still theycame
; eachbird aftera turn ortwosinkingwith unerringinstinct on to itshole,findingitin the longgrassand in the darknesswith
a certainty which was truly marvellous. It
was
difficult to tear oneselfaway
from this wonderful spectacle.But
at lengthwe
returned to our tent, pitched near the water's edge butstillamong
the bushes, andall nightlongas Ilay trying to sleep I heardthe cooingandcackling ofinnumer-able birdsfeeding their
young
in their subterranean homes,some
ofthem
apparently within a yard ofmy
ear.At
length I fell asleep,
and
before I awoke,at 6 o'clock in themorning,therewas not a bird to be seenon the island. All the oldpetrels
had
longago spedaway
to their distantfeed-ing places. I regretted that I
had
not witnessed theirmorning
exit. Initswav
itisas striking as theirhomeward
journey. For, as these birds cannot fly off the ground,
especially inthe long grass,eachone has to walkeitherto thesea shore orelse to the topof
some
rock before it cantake itsflight. In
some
cases thisjourneymust
havemeant
adistance ofmany
hundred yards. Mr. Davies relates in his paper, read in 1846, that the sealersshowed him
themanner
in whichthey caught the oldbirds for the sake oftheir feathers, stopping
up
all thetracks theymade
exceptsuffo-4 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
MUTTON
BIRDS, ETC.cated by those that crowded after them. I
am
thankful tosaythis custom does not obtain at the present time.
On
every occasionwhen
I could take the opportunity I used totake
up
my
positionupon
the rookeryto watchforthatwon-derful silent rush of birds after dusk. It never ceasedto
charm
aswell as to astonish.Iwill proceed
now
to giveyou
some
statistics regardingthe
numbers
ofthesebirds,basedonpersonal enquiriesfrom
those
who
live by this industry.On
Chappell Island onSunday
morning,March
8, aftermorning
service,I collected alltheheads of families of thehalf-castes,and
extracted the information Iam
about to put before you.But
first to prepareyou
forsome
astonishingfigures, I quotewhat
has beensaid already on this question. Mr. Davies writesthatso greatwerethe
numbers
of the birds returningto GreenIsland that "night is ushered in a good tenminutesbefore the usual time."
And
again—
"I have actually sailed throughthem
from Flinders Island to theHeads
of theTamar,adistance of80miles."
And
Flinderscalculatesthathe passed through a flock which
must
have been 40miles long.
We
have fallenupon
degenerate days.There are whole islands absolutely deserted
now
whichformerly
swarmed
with these interestingand
lovelycreatures. Witness
Gun
Carriage, orVansittart Island, asit is called.
Not
a single petrel ever breeds there now,becauseofthe culpable negligence
and
cruel thoughtlessnessofsettlersin old days.
They
putcattleontheisland, and Iconfess that
my
indignation riseswhen
Ithink ofthe slow agonies endured by thousands of these defencelessyoung
birds crushed todeath intheir holesunder the heavytread
of bullocks. I stand
amazed
both at the cruelty of suchconduct,
and
at thewant
of foresightamong
the farmers.For
when
once the cattle are regularly placed on one of these islandsthe birds desert itin abody; andthereis noexpedient by which theycan be attracted back again.
So
far as it isknown
they depart never to return.When
it isbornein
mind
that aman
and
his family can earn about<£4 10s. a day for nine weeks in an industry on which he actually spends nothing,which onlyneeds thatit shouldbe leftseverely alone until themoment
for catching the birdshascome,
you
willwonder
how
anyonecan be so infatuated asto turn, say,some
20 head of cattleon an islandwhich might otherwise produce 100,000 birds annually, to besoldatanaverage of10s. a hundred. This infatuation hasnot
BY H. H. MONTGOMERY, D.D. 5
On
thatSunday morning
I learntthaton Chappeli Island (which has an area of 1,200 acres,including rocksand
sandpatches) there were, in 1890, 21 families atworkcatching the
young
birds forsome
eight weeks,beginning aboutthe 18thdayofMarch.
They
caughtand
salted204,000birds. Iasked—
"Did
you takethem
all?" "No,that is impossible.We
go over the holes twice, and find just as
many
the second time as the first.
At
least 100,000young
birds
must
escape.When
the time comes for theirflight the sea is covered with them." Let us consider
that 100,000
young
petrels then escaped. Thisbrings ourtotal of
young
birdsto 304,000, neglecting thosewhichmeetwithuntimely deaths.
Now,
eachpair ofmutton
birdslays butone egg. Thereforeat the lowestcomputation
(puttingasideallbarren pairs
and
thosewhichhad
lost their eggs or young) theremust
have been 608,000 old birds.But
this is not all.The
21 families of half-castes on Chappeli Island live entirely on these birds during their season. Imade
acalculation withthem
whichshowed
thatfrom
sixto ten birds adayisthe ordinaryallowanceforaman
;and
besides thehuman
beings to be fed there arethreeorfourkangaroo dogsto each hut,
who
all haveto be supportedonthe
same
diet. In the twomonths
oftheir staythese people ateat least26,000young
birds. And, lastly,the parents ofthese
young
ones so eatenamounted
to 52,000. So, then,we
arewellwithin themark
when
we
say thaton anynightinFebruarythere were in 1890, on Chappeli Island alone, 990,000 petrels.
We
are accustomed to be told of thewondrous
wealth added to our food resourcesby
salmon,which cost nothing but a little watching,
and come
backfrom
the seaten times the sizethey went for thesake,appa-rently, offeedingmaukind. I submit that the
mutton
birdsarea caseequally inpoint. Thatthe
young
freshbirds are de-licious eating I can testify.They
taste like a very fresh herringaswe
know
thatfishin theOldCountry. Broiled or fried it is a dish to set before a king.When
salted they are unquestionably nutritious, and probably quiteas healthful also, for delicate persons, as cod liver
oil.
A
little barren treelesshummock
in our seaspro-duced thenlast yearJ21,020 in cash. Destroy that rookery
by
lettingsome
dozen cattleroam
over itand
a fewsheepand what
istheresult in the eyesofany reasonableperson?What
a loss to the wealth of the colony?On
thisveryislandthere is a farmer
who owns
40acres of land. Thishe stockswith cattle
and
sheep. His fence runsright acrossthe track from the only good harbourto the largest cluster
of huts.
The
half-caste lads pulldown
a panel sometimes.The
cattleroam
over therookeries. Ihave seenthem
there6 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
MUTTON
BIKDS, ETC.of things with regret,
how
easilythe island could be savedfrom
the destructionwhichis impending.But
to returntonumbers. LittleDog
Islandis inprivatehands on a
Government
lease. Three families each takesome
27,000 birdsoff patches of40 acres in each case.To
those interested in the conditionofthegroundforwalking
I
make
the following calculation:—
On
40 acres here theremust
have been 40,000 holes occupied by birds, besidesdeserted nests.
One
party on BigDog
Island collectedlastyear 40,000 birds. This island does carrycattle, butit is quite different to the other rookeries. There is a large
wood
at oneend,and
the groundis a great deal harder, the birdsbreeding only at one endof theisland. Babel Islandprobably contains
more
birds thananyofthese otherplaces. Itis atthe S.E. of Flinders.But
thesnakes are so terriblehere that even thehalf-castesdonotlikeworking onit.
Two
families,however,have attemptedit this year. If
we
take the birdsonthesefourlittle islandswe
shallbe below themark
when
we
computethaton anynight in February there aretwomillionsixhundred thousand sooty petrels asleep
upon
them.Perhaps itwill interestthe
members
of the Societyto hear of another feature ofthese islands. Iremarked thatno one on Chappeli Islandwas
everseen without a stickor agun.It was an ominous sign,betokening the presence ofsnakes.
Thesecreatures do notlive apparentlyon
mutton
birds, but onmice, whichabound
there.The young
men
spendSunday
morning
sometimes in killingsnakes.Two
partiesthe otherdaystarted outto see
how many
they could get—
one partybroughtin 100, the other70.
Nor
didany onein theislands towhom
I mentioned this think it an extraordinary case.One
man,old Mr. Smith, the half-caste, toldme
that hisparty one year threwinto a heap the snakes theykilled in
the two
months
inthe course of theirwork,and
thattheynumbered
600.When
you
consider that aman
inhis prime can take 1,000 birds outof1,000holes, inanyofwhichtheremay
besnakes, itindicates the nerve thatis neededfor this industry.As
amatterof fact theyrarelytouch a snakeby
accident. There are sure signs of their presence; nor are they often in the holes where theyoung
birds are;and
these inhabited holes have also their signs.
At
thesame
timea girlof 16 pulled out two snakesinoneday a yearor two ago; but, then, shewas
inexperienced, Sleepingon theground
among
the bushesonChappeli Islandon thatSunday
in a hut without a door, and open on every sidealong the ground, Iwasnot surprised when, afteran hour, Iheard
my
companion mutter, " I
am
too nervousto sleep here: Iam
offtothe boat." For
my
own
part,thoughI braved itout,BY
H. H. MONTGOMERY, D.D. 7Chappell Islandis bad enough,but the half-castes say that
Babelisso
bad
that,thougha moderatefortune awaitsthem
there, theydonotcare to go. Imay
add
that so barren arethese
hummocks
that every familycommences
operationsby
stackingwood
for two months, loadingtheir boats onFlinders Island,
and
filling casksof water. There is neither waternorfuel inthese places. Ihave spoken of petrelsand
of snakes on these islands. I could a tale unfold about
another inhabitant, exceeding in
numbers
even themutton
bird, butIforbear. I merely alludeto thedreadsubjectof fleas. Ileave to your imagination, which youmay
actively employ without easilyoverstepping the bounds ofreality,thedetailsof this theme whichin thatneighbourhood youcan
by
no means
putaway
from your thoughts—
and
feelings.What
practical proposals, then, can bemade
for the dueprotection of
mutton
birds? Ihave discussed the question with magistrates in theislands, withallthehalf-castes,and
withwhitesettlers. I think Imay
say thatthereis complete unanimityamong
them
all. Thereis no doubtwhat
should be done.One
andallcall forrestriction.On
oneoccasion, a fine, stalwart fellow, a half-caste, and one of the bestboatmen
in the world,was
urging restriction.What
he really saidwas
—
"I wish,sir,when
you return toHob
art,you
would putstrychnineupon
them."What
is the sort of" strychnine
"we
want?First:
The
wisest plan would befor theGovernment
toresumepossessionofthe
mutton
bird islands.Some
arenow
letonlease, suchas Little
Dog
and
Big Dog.One
is in a sense reserved for the half-castes, namely, ChappellIsland.But
onthis islandtwo white familiesown
small patchesof land, which they havebought. In both casesIbelievethey are honourable men,,and
have no wishto go beyond their rights.Why
should theynot be boughtout? Itwould be but a trifling sum,and
the islands afterwards would be a regular source of revenue.Some
islands, like Babel, are practicallyuntouched by anyone.Secondly: If resumed by Government,
why
should not alicense betakenout by every person
who
wishesto "bird"—
so
much
foranadult, say,10s.,andalessersum
fortheyoungermembers
of the family?At
least <£100 a year could be received atonce from this source of revenue.But
evenifthe
Government
does notresume possession (and I, for one,earnestly trust they will take
them
entirely into theirown
hands),stillthepoints,which are simply dictates of
common
sense, are these—
(a.)
That
there be a close time for these birds, just asthereis a close seasonforquail:
At
present thereisnone.8 SOME ACCOUNT OF THE
MUTTON
BIRDS, ETC.nothing gained
by
the taking of the eggs, whereas thenumber
of birdsismaterially lessened. Formerly they wereeatenin large numbers. Mr. Davies states that an officerof the old settlement on Flinders sawa
woman
eat 52 eggs inone day.
As
they are as large as ducks' eggs that was a first-rate performance.(c.) That afixed day should be gazetted before which no one should be allowed to touch a bird. Personsdiffer whether it should be
March
15 or any dateup
toMarch
20. Thereis greatneedforsuch anorder. FamiliesonChappell Islandhave norecognised spacesonthe rookery.
They
beginupon
the sameday, each near hisown
hut,and
work
outwards and upwards as they please. If oneman
begins too early the others are compelledtowork
in self-defence. There* is no need to fix the close of the season.The
birds arrange thatbyflying cleanaway
aboutthemiddle ofMay, and
not returningtill September.(d.)
No
fatting should be permitted. Fattingmeans
taking the
immature
bird before it is readyfor saltiug,and
boiling it
down
for the oil.As
200birdsmake
about agallon or so ofoil,whichbrings 3s.,
and
asthose 200birdsaweek
or two laterwould
sellwhen
salted for «£1, theun-wisdom
ofthe formeroperationis obvious.(e.)
No
cattle or sheep should be permitted on theseislands. Big
Dog
Islandmay
be an exception, but thereis no question the other littleislands should be protected. Tknow how many
in this colony are enrolling children inBands
ofMercy
inorderto teachthem
to be gentleand
kind to all animals. I have heard of a "Dicky Bird Society," whichexists for similar purposes. I invoke the aid of all such in the cause of the gentleand
inoffensive "yolla"—
thatisthe native
name
for the sooty petrel ormutton bird.Iinvoketheaid also ofall
who
have been fascinatedby
theexquisitely graceful flight of these birds as they soar
and
wheel round the passenger steamers that ply round our coasts.The
mode
of killingthem
for the industry is painless; onetwist oftheneckand
they aredead.A
singlepressure ona gland inthe stomach after death
and
the oilescapes at the
mouth
and is caughtin a vessel. This islegitimate,and not barbarous, for
we must
killin order toeat.
But
it shocks all our finerfeelings to thinkof cattle tramplingupon
hundredsofyoung
birds, which dieand
rot uselessly in their holes.(/.)
An
ordershouldbe issued againstfires,exceptbetweenMay
and September. It is, of course, difficult, but not impossible, to get the grass toburn
in winter.At
anyotherseason it
means
ruinto the industryand
deathto the(g.) CliappellIsland, in consequence ofthecattlethathave
been on it, would be the better for a year of rest. All agree as to this.
But
the question arises,"Where
shallthe half-castes go for thisone year?" Could they attempt Babel? Couldtheygo to
some
ofthoseislands off Wilson'sPromontory, whichare said to
swarm
with birds, and no onetouches
them
? Iam
told there are noteven boat harbours in them.At
anyrate,Chap
pell Island, as beinginsome
sense reservedfor thehalf-castes, merits ourchief attention. There need be no difficulty in carrying out these arrange-ments.
Under
the direction of the worthy magistrates inthe islandsand the well-known police constable everything could be at once arranged. If it is asked
why
such obvious regulations have not beenmade
long ago,I answer thatperhapsthe chief reason is that never have these islanders
recorded a vote for a
member
of Parliament. There has been nopolling station, no registration office for them. I have wonderedwhy
awould-bemember
forEingarooma
(in which district the islandsare included) has never bestirredhimselfto get fifty solid votes from the
Furneaux
Islands,votes which would be gladly given to anyone
who
wouldadvocatetheirjust claims
and
protect their industries. IfanythingIhave said leads toa greaterinterest inoneof the most beautiful of our sea birds, and indirectlyhelps to foster a usefulindustry, andfurther the causeofhumanityin the protectionof the "yolla " or sootypetrel,throughthein-strumentalityoftheRoyal Society, I shallhave
deemed
itanhonouraswell as a privilege tohave putthis paper before
you
this evening.DISCUSSION.
Mr.
Morton
said that the value of the mutton bird industryhad
never beenso prominently brought before thenotice of the Society since Mr. Davis read a paper on the
subject, which was printed in the
Tasmanian
journal.He
lookedupon
itas a matter which mightvery wellengage the attentionofthe Fisheries Board.He
wouldverymuch
like to findoatfrom statisticswhether thiswholesale destruction of thepetrelhad
decreased thenumbers.As
far as he was able to gatherthey had not decreased. It was plain, how-ever,thatwerecattlewereintroduced the birds had disap-peared and gone to some otherplace.Viewed
as animpor-tantindustry, he thought these birds should beprotected, especially as it was thought necessary to protect quails, which brought no revenueintothe country, but merely
10 DISCUSSION
ON
SOME ACCOUNT OF THEMUTTON
BIKDS.Mr.
Bernard
Shaw
saidthat therewas alreadyanAct ofParliament enabling the Executive to deal fully with the matter. Itwaspassedlast session,andthere did notappear
to have been sufficient time to prepare the necessary
regulations.
Under
that Act the Governor-in-Councilwas
empowered
tomake
regulationsfixinga closeseasonforthebirds, preventing the introduction of cattle and sheep to certain islands, the lighting of fires,
and
various other mattersto which HisLordshphad
referred in hispaper.He
consideredthat interference in thesematterswas
beyondthe functionsofthe Fisheries Board.The
Act to which hehad
referred gave ample, powers to
make
all the regulationsnecessary,andhe hoped thatbefore next season therewould be a completeset ofregulations in operation.
Mr.
Alfred
J.Taylor
said that before BishopSandford
leftthe colonyhebroughtthismatterunderthenotice ofthe
Society, and pointedout that a valuable industrywas being destroyed.
He
hadalsoreferred tothefactthattheoilofthe birdhad
been found valuable as a medicine in cases of consumption.Mr.E.
M. Johnston
saidthathavingvisitedtheseislandson several occasions he could corroborate His Lordship'sdescription of the return of the birds. It was a glorious sight to seethe multitudeof birds returning,
and
hewas
gladto seethat steps were being takento see whatcould be done to protectthesebirds. In regardto the destruction of the birds,he thoughtthisarose not onlyfrom the destruction
of thebirds, butalso ofthe
mounds
inwhichthey burrowed.His Lordship
briefly replied,expressing pleasure at thefact that legislation
had
been initiated in the direction indicated,and
hoping that the necessary regulations wouldbe