826 XIDIFICATIOX OF THE SPOONBILL AXD IIEROX, 



the soft ground or in the water, quickly became the prey of the 

 crows and hawks of various kinds, which were having a " good 

 time of it," whilst now and again a hawk apparently preferring 

 game of his own capture, would swoop down on a nest and 

 clutching a struggling, croaking victim, bear him off to some 

 adjacent tree, there to be devoured at leisure. Meanwhile the 

 flapping noise of the birds' wings as they flew to and fro, the 

 hoarse croaking sounds emitted by both adults and young, the 

 cries of the herons, the cawing of innumerable crows, and the 

 shrill whistle of the eagle — Haliaster splienurus — made up a Babel 

 of sounds not soon forgotten, and altogether formed one of the 

 most animated scenes in nature that it has been my fortune to 

 witness. I have said these birds hatched four young ones, but 

 judging from the mortality I saw amongst them, I should think 

 that scarcely half that number arrived at maturit}^ I took a 

 couple of the young Spoonbills home, and although not confined 

 they became thoroughly domesticated. 



Having occasion about two years subsequently to revisit my 

 father's station, " Yandeenbah," from which this swamp is distant 

 only a few miles, I availed myself of the opportunity to* pay 

 another visit to the breeding places of the Spoonbills ; and as I 

 felt sure in the event of the heronry being still occupied, I should 

 this time be successful in obtaining eggs, I took a small bag in 

 which to stow my spoil. On arrival at the place I found that 

 owing to the recent and heavy rains the whole swamp was con- 

 verted into alake, but to my great satisfaction I saw that the clump 

 of trees was still tenanted by the Spoonbills. To tie up my 

 horse and strip off my clothes was but the work of a few minutes 

 and taking my bag I started. For some distance the water was 

 shallow, reaching to my waist, but this was decidedly the worst 

 of the trip, for the ground was covered with a dense growth of 

 the terrible thorny plant, known in the district as " Roley Foley " 

 bushes, which it was impossible to avoid, and of which I still 

 retain a lively recollection. As tbe water deepened, I took to 



