;78o NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



StTB-FAMILV LuBlVANELLlN^. 



600. — Erythrogonys cinctus, Gould. — (513) 

 RED-KNEED DOTTREL. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, lol., vol. vi., pi. 21. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxiv., p. 125. 



Previous Descriptions of Eggs. — Ramsay : Proc. Linn. Soc, N.S. 

 Wales, vol. vii. (18S2) ; Campbell ; Southern Science Record 

 (1883), Nests and Eggs Austn. Birds, iig. ^13 (1883), also Proc. 

 Austn. Assoc, vol. v., p. 437 (1S93) ; North : Austn. Mus. Cat., 

 pi. 16, fig. 5 (1889). 



Geographical Distri/mtiun. — Australia iii general. 



Nest. — Eggs generally deposited on the moist gi-omid near the margin 

 of a swamp or lagoon. 



E<J!J$. — Clutch, four ; pyriform in shape ; texture of shell exceed- 

 ingly fine and tliin ; .siuiacc without gloss ; tolom', stone, marbled closely 

 and in a decided manner almost over the whole surface with tine wavy 

 hair-Uke markings and blotches of dark-sepia or black. In some 

 examples the fine hair-like markings predominate, winch, limning 

 together and interlacing, fomi iiTegular-shaped blotches in places. In 

 shape and size the egg.5 exactly resemble those of the Bhu'k-fronted 

 Dottrel (JHyia/itu iiit.lanops). Dimensions in inches of a clutch : 

 (1) 1-28 X -88, (2) 1-22 x -86, (3) 1-22 x -86, (4) 1-21 x -85. (Plate 21.) 



Observations. — The Red-kneed Dottrel is a rare bird, ajid a dweller 

 of the Interior, where it prefers muddy flats and the borders of lagoons 

 to the shingly river beds. Its head, back of neck, and breast are black, 

 throat and stomach wliite, bull'y -coloured flanks, with back and centre 

 of wings olive. It possesses somewhat long leg's, pink to the knee 

 (readily suggesting the common name Red-kneed), with the lower portion 

 leaden-coloured. The bill, except a dark tip, has nearly tlie same 

 tint of pink as the legs. Total length of bird about seven inches. 

 Gould could never discover its eggs, nor could his two intelligent natives 

 aid him with any information on the subject. It was not until ,1882 

 that Dr. Rams^iy described the eggs, which were collected by 

 Mr. K. H. Bemictl in tiie Laciilan district. Mr. Bennett says he 

 found the eggs, in several instances, on the damp ground at the water's 

 edge of lagoons, and smeared over witl^ mud, as if the birds had been 

 sliifting them from places to place, or pi'rhaps, as Dr. Ramsay suggests, 

 they were purposely smciu'ed over to prevent the eggs being detected. 

 The eggs in my own collection, whicii were t;iken the same season as 



