77^ 



NESTS AXD liCGS Of AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Mr. S. W. Jackson, of South Grafton, .Clarence River, New South 

 Wales, has been veiy successful among tlie PaiTas' nests in his district, 

 and has carefully observed the habits of the birds in their swampy 

 haunts. To Mr. Jackson I am indebted for a most handsome set of eggs, 

 which was accompanied with the following interesting data., and, 

 excepting Gilbert's graphic account, as fiu-nished in Go'uld, probably the 

 best personal observation made of the bird in Austraha ; — " I find the 

 PaiTa breeds from October to January in the swamps in this district. 

 There is always a great difficulty in finding the nests. I have sat on the 

 edge of a swamp for six hours watching a pair of Pawas and then I did 

 not find the nest. As soon as the Parras see a person approaching the 

 swamp, the birds, first of all, try tO' sink their small damp nest a little 

 below its general level. , This is done by both male and female standing 

 on the nest at once ; after this operation is performed, both bu'ds fiy 

 to the other end of the swamp and remain there a considerable time. 

 I have also noticed that the PaiTa, when she is sitting on the nest, 

 pretends to be feeding if anyone is near or anj' cattle wade out near the 

 nest, which is not built in reeds but in thick clumps of aquatic plants 

 along the edges of the swamps, about twenty or thirty feet from the 

 margin. The nest measures, when in the Water, nine inches across, but 

 when taken out and the aquatic plants die, it only measures six or seven 

 inches across. The eggs are usually four in niU7iber for a. sitting ; but 

 on two occasions I found five in a nest. The eggs are placed in the 

 wet nest with their smaller ends pointing inwards. These nests are 

 much smaller than those of Poi/irip/'x iinrif /m/hiiii/ict. and are always 

 much greener, with vegetation, &c." 



To Mr. Jackson I am also much indebted for the splendid illustration 

 depicting a nest of the Parra resting upon a floating orbicular leaf of the 

 water-lily, smiounded by a crop of beautiful flowei-s. 



Breeding season, September to February. 



FAMILY— CHARADRIID^ : PLOVERS. 



Sub-family — AitENARiiNiE. 



597.— AuENAIilA INTEIU'IIKS. LiiHiajus. — (532) 



TURNSTONE. 



Figure. — Gou'd : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi., pi. 3c). 

 Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxiv.. p. q2. 

 Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Varioius. 



QciicirnphirciJ Tiistrihviiiin . — Whole of Australia and Tasmania ; also 

 almost the rest of the world, breeding towards tlii' north. 



