NESTS Ai\D EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 739 



ORDER— FULICARI^E. 



FAxMILY— RALLID^ ; RAILS. 



574.— Hypot^enidia brachypus, Swaiuson. — (571) 



SLATE-BREASTED (LEWIN) RAIL. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi., pi. 77. 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxiii., p. 37. 

 Previous Des.riplions of Eggs. — Campbell : Victorian Naturalist 

 (1888); North: Austn. Mus. Cat., p. 329 (1889). 



Geographical Distribution. — South Queensland, New South Wales, 

 Victoria, South and West AustraUa, and Tasmania ; also New Zealand. 



Xe-^'t. — Composed of fine grass and rushes, and situated in a swamp 

 among thick rashes, which are usually drawn together above, so as to 

 form a covering. There is a staging or landing leading to the nest, 

 which is variously placed from six inches to three feet above the water. 



Eggs. — Clutch, foiu- to six, usually five ; oval or round oval 

 in form ; texture of shell fine ; surface glossy ; coloiu-, hght- 

 pink or pinkish-white, blotched and splashed with pinki.sh-red and 

 pm-ple. Dimensions in inches of a set of three: (1) 1'41 x r03, 

 (2) 1-38 xM, (3) 1-37 X 1-0. 



Observations. — This interesting Rail does not enjoy stich a wide 

 range as its larger compeer, the Pectoral Rail, being confined chiefly 

 to the southern parts of Australia and Tasmania, where it is especially 

 abundant in low swampy sitviations. 



Having received authenticated eggs of this pretty Rail from differ- 

 ent quarters in 1888, I took the opportimity of re-describing them, 

 for in none could I discern the " pale-olive " gi'ound colour mentioned 

 in Gould and elsewhere, a colour probably referable to the egg of one 

 of the Crakes — a pardonable mistake, because the identity of the parent 

 would be difficult, when both Crakes and Rails often frequent the same 

 swampy situation. 



Mr. A. E. Brent, from whom I received two particularly fine seta 

 first acquainted me with the fact of the singular staging or ladder 

 leading from the nest to the water, down which, he says, " the birds 

 when disturbed from the nest travel hke Ughtning, disappearing under 

 water." 



Another time Mr. Brent states : " Since I vrrote to you, in com- 

 pany with Mr. Malcolm W. Harrison, sub-inspector of stock, 

 I discovered a nest of this bird containing five eggs. Mr. Harrison, 

 not having taken any of these eggs, was ciuious to see the bird, so we 



