538 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS IBIS, 94

THE EGYPTIAN PLOVER I N GAMBIA.

Bannerman, ‘ Birds of Tropical West Africa ’ 2 (1931) : 203, states that the Egyptian Plover or Crocodile Bird Pltrciunus rregyptiits is “ evidently of rare occurrence” in Gambia. The explicit information cited is that Hopkinson had ‘‘ occasionally seen them at the end of the dry season ” (which would mean about -4priI). Subseyuently, Bannemian, op. c i t . 8 (1951) : 216, had nothing to add regarding this territory.

I t may therefore be worth recording that on 31 January 1952 I saw this species at Basse, in Upper River Province. Its strikiqg colour pattern, including the blue legs, make it unmistakable el-en on first acquantance in the field. Two birds were seen on the sandy margin of the River Gambia near the landing-stage. They were not at all shy, although people were about, and they were under observation for some time at quite close range. Later, five (not improbably including the first two) were seen more distantly on the opposite bank.

4 May 1952. 4. IANDSBOROUGH THOMSOZ.

ARlERICArZ PECTORAL SANDPIPER I N KENYA COLONY. While engaged in carrying out a duck ccnsus on Lake Naivasha, Kenya Colony,

on 1 1 hlay 1952, in company with hlr. A. Cole, honorary Game Warden of the Kaivasha district, and Rir. H. A. C. Howard, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Coryndon Museum, I observed a medium-sized, dark-coloured wader feeding among short grass at the edge of the water. As the identification of the bird was in doubt it was collected, when it was found to be an adult male American Pectoral Sandpiper Erolia nzclznotos in full breeding plumage. T h e bird was extremely fat : its stomach contained a few aquatic insect larvae and small quartz fragments. T h e specimen has been prepared as a study skin and added to the ornithological reference collection at this Museum.

This appears to be the firsr recording of this .%rnerican species for the African continent. It is especially remarkable that it should have been taken on the eastern side so late as May and in excellent condition.

12 May 1952. JOHN G. WILLIAMS, T h e Coryndon Museum, Nairobi, Kenya Colony.

PHI<LIMIN.IRY SOTE O S BIRD RINGING BY T H E FALK1,ASD ISLXSDS DEPENDEXCIES SURX’EY, 1945-51

The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey is a research and administrative organization noiv operating in Graham Land and the islands of South Georgia, South Orkneys and South Shetlands. The scientific and survey work carried out from a number of permanently occupied stations since 1944 has provided opportunities for continuous obser\.ation in a \vay never previously possible in the Antarctic.

Birds have been ringed at the following stations : Grytviken (South Georgia!, Signy Island (South Orkneys), Deception Island (South Shetlands), Hope Bay, I’ort Lockroy, Argentine Islands, and Stonington Island (Graham Land), and the Fnlkland Islands. This work has been done chiefly as an aid to local studies. There

1952 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 539

have, however, been some interesting long-distance recoveries of the Giant Petrel Macronertes giganteus. These were all ringed at Signy Island as fledglings :- No. 62002. Taken alive at Fremantle, Western Australia,

on 10 July 1948 and released 12 days later in good condition (see Serventy, ' Emu '

No. 62056. Left nest early May 1949. Recovered, apparently shot, at Tory Channel, Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand, in October 1949. (Information from Mr. W. A. -4. Norris.)

Found dead or dying on beach at Dargaville, north Aukland, New Zealand, on 14 September 1951. (Information from Mr. Percy Wright.)

NO. 63560. Left nest May 1951. Recovered Stewart Island, New Zealand (47' ti's., 168" 6.5' E.) on 20 November 1951. (Information from Mr. Maxwell Skipper.)

These recoveries, together with that of a Giant Petrel ringed by the Australian National Antarctic Expedition at Macquarie Island in October 1950, and recovered in South Georgia (see 'Melbourne Age' 14 July 1951), suggest that the young Giant Petrel may perforni a west-to-east circumpolar movement in the west-wind belt of the Southern Ocean. The great-circle routes from Signy Island to New Zealand and Australia cross the Antarctic continent, and it seems likely that these birds cover a far greater distance by keeping to approximately the same latitude zone. The distances involved in these recorded movements are in no case less than 10,000 statute miles, whether performed in an easterly or westerly direction. No young birds have yet been recovered at their breeding ground after their first winter. With further ringing in the Falkland Islands Dependencies, in the Australian and French sub-Antarctic islands, and by K.R.S. ' Discovery I1 ' (see p. 543) at sea in the Southern Ocean, it should now be possible to learn much more about their migrations, and, in particular, to determine whether the movements performed by the young birds are different from those of the adults.

It seems worth recording briefly the history of the present scheme and the experience so far gained with ring-sizes, etc.

Strips of aluminium sheet and a set of number-punches were sent out to the Antarctic in October 1944. The first birds ringed were 50 young Gentoo Penguins Pygorcelis papua in February 1945 at Port Lockroy. Between November 1946 and January 1948, 477 Addie Penguins Puc-lzeramplms addiae were ringed at the breeding areas on Red Rock Ridge, near Stonington Island, and at Hope Bay. At Red Rock Ridge the rings were supplemented by &'Ionel metal strips supplied by the Konne Antarctic Research Expedition. Subsequent observations were made on the Hope Bay penguins (see Andrew and Roberts, p. 540 below).

Since 1948 special aluminium alloy rings have been used with the inscription " Inform F.I.D.S. Colonial Office, London " in addition to the reference number. Sizes 2, 3 and 4 are like those used by the British Trust for Ornithology except that size 2 has metal of the same thickness as size 3. Size 6 is at present variable and. has been supplied in strips of metal 4.5 inches long, of the samc aidth and thickness as the B.T.O. Gannet/Heron ring. These strips have been trimmed to fit, with clip, the penguins, Giant Petrel and Blue-eyed Shag. The inscription and reference number are duplicated inside the double bend of the clip as a safeguard against abrasion of the outer markings. Three rings from the recovered Giant Petrels mentioned above have been examined. In two of these the identification marks were rather worn, apparently by abrasion on the stones of the nest before dcparting. No rings have shown signs of chemical corrosion. To ensure longer survival, it seems essential to duplicate the identification marks either inside the double bend of the

Left nest May 1948.

48 (1948) : 158-59).

No. 63526. Left nest May 1951.

VOL. 94. 2 0

540 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS IBIS, 94

clip or-as used in England for the Manx Shearwater-inside a simple overlap. For penguins, flipper-rings have also been used, and are thought to be superior to leg- or tarsus-rings (see Sladen, p. 541 below). T h e following table shows numbers of birds ringed in the Dependencies up to April 1951 and the sizes of rings that fit best :-

Adtlie Penguin Pirchrratnphus ndiliae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Antarctic Penguin Pygoscelis antarcticn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gentoo Penguin Pyyoscelis pnpua (including Falkland

Islands birds) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blue-eyed Shag Pliolacrororas atriceps . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Giant Petrel :lJrrrronwtes giganteus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cape Pigeon Dnption capensis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snow Petrel Pagodroma niven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Prion Parliyptila desolnta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wilson's Petrel Oremites oceonicus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominican Gull Lams dmninicanus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Brown Skua Cnrho~ucta skiin ...................... Sheathbill Chionis albn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

* The ring should be overlapped.

Numbers ringed

781 275

307 61

123 113 59 2

12 8

10 71

Ring size

6 6

6 Gannet/ Heron

6 3, 2 2*

4 4 4"

2*t

t Size 2 is probably too large and heavy for this bird.

Emperor Penguins Aptenodjtes forsteri were ringed at the breeding area on the Dion Islands, Marguerite Bay, in June 1919, but owing to lack of suitable material the rings were only temporary.

We would like to thank Sir Norman Kinnear and h'liss E. Leach for valuable advice given when new rings were being designed; also R. M. Laws for his work at Signy Island, 1948-50.

January 1952. BRIAN ROBERTS. WILLIAM J. L. SLADEN.

T H E PAIRING OF ADELIE PENGUINS.

Gain (1914) marked 50 adult Adelie Penguins Puclzwamphus adkliae with violet cellulose rings on 12 January 1909. In the following breeding season 11 of these were obsened in November at the rock where originally ringed. Some were again recovered by whalers in Sovember and December 1910 (Gain 1913).

Further results were obtained by us with numbered rings at Hope Bay, Graham Land, whilst serving 3s medical officers with the Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey. One of us (J. D. A.) ringed ten pairs of Addie Penguins at their nesting sites on 19 November 1946. These nests were situated about half a mile from the sea at 200 feet above sea-level and near the centre of an area containing some 50,000 nests.

T o avoid difficulties in recognizing nest-sites in subsequent years, they were chosen close to some well-defined rock-feature and, when possible, isolated from neighbouring nests. Arrows were painted on prominent rocks nesrby indicating the position of the nests. Each nest and its distinctive features were photographed and the actual position indicated again by a prominent marker (a glove) in the photograph. Finally a plan of all the nests was drawn up giving compass bearings and distances from a central rock pillar, together with a descriptive note of each nest and its surround. Birds were ringed

A paint cross was also made on or beside the nest itself.