744 



NESTS AND EGGS OE AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



mentioned by Mr. CockereU, attributed to a Rail ; whether this Rail 

 or some other bird has yet to be proved. A set of three of these white 

 eggs may be seen in the collection of Mr. D. Le Souef. They resemble 

 in shape and size those of the Red-nocked Rail, minus the markings, 

 but are apparently stouter in the shell and have more gloss on the 

 surface. 



From very strong circumstantial evidence Mr. Broadbent believes 

 the white eggs are Red-necked Rail's. In a communication to me he 

 has kindly furnished the following interesting field notes ; — 



" I left Cardwell about the first week in January, on a collecting 

 trip, for the head of the Murray River, thirty miles from Cardwell 

 and ten miles from the Bellenden Plains, just where the mountains 

 come down to the banks of the river — a splendid place for you about 

 October — all the country to yoiu'self. 



" Of course, I was collecting birds, insects, reptiles, and fish, and 

 eggs when I came across them. 



" My tent was near the river scrub, about two bundled yards away, 

 in the gi-ass. But close to my tent, about fifty yards distant, 

 was a little creek with scrub very tliick with a great quantity of ferns 

 and uudergi-owth. At night I often heard the call of the Scnib Rail, 

 and sometimes on very dark nights they would come around the tent, 

 but too dark to shoot. In the morning I frequently heard them in 

 the scnib calhng to each other, when I endeavoiu'ed to get them. 

 Several mornings I got up at dawn and crawled into the scnib amongst 

 the ferns, but unfortunately I could not see the birds — too dense and 

 dark. However, one morning, when crawUng as usual in the ferns, 

 I nearly broke two beautiful white eggs laid on the gi^ound amongst 

 the ferns in a Uttlc circular ba.sin Hned with a few bits of leaves and 

 small pieces of dead sticks, just scrub rubbish. The eggs were quite 

 warm. I shot the female just as she was beginning to sit, judging by 

 her breast feathers. Afterwards I shot the male about the middle of 

 January. I hunted these scrubs for six weeks afterwards and could 

 attribute the eggs to no other bu-d." 



578. — Crex ceex, Linnaeu: 

 CORN CRAKE. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Great Britain, vol. iv., pi. 87. 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.,vol. xxiii., p. 82. 

 Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Various. 



Gent/ra pliicol Di.'itri/iiitidii. — Now South Wales (accidental); also 

 Asia and Europe, migrating to winter in Africa, sometimes as far 

 south as the Cape. 



Nr.<<t. — A mere depression in the ground, lined with a few straws, 

 and usually situated in a corn or clover field or meadow (Butler). 



