7g6 



A'ESTS A.VD EGGS 01- AVSriiAT.IAK BIRDS. 



Nest. — The usual slight hollow iii a pebbly river bed, or on a sandy 

 ridge near water. 



Efff/x. — Clutdi, three ; pyriforni in shape, with tliiu, line texture of 

 sliell ; siu'face without gloss; eoloiu-, of a beautiful light-stone or 

 yellowish-bufi, very closely and ciu'iously marked over almost the whole 

 surface with minute specks and short angular lines of umber ninning into 

 or crossing each other — intermingled are a number of dull gi-eyish 

 maa'kings. Under a magnifying glass such letters as an undefined Z 

 or K and other hieroglyphics may be discovered among the umber- 

 coloiu'cd lines. Dimensions of a clutch in inches: (1) 1-15 x -81, 

 (2) 1-14 X -85, (3) 1-08 x -83. Another type of specinuns is lighter in 

 general colom- and more of a. spotted nature, with the angular markings 

 smudged, while the obsciu'e greyish markings aa'e more blotchy : 

 (1) 1-2 X -82, (2) Ml X -8. (Plate 22.) 



Observations. — This elegant little species haimts the sandy margin 

 of inland swamps and rivers, and is found throughout Australia. The 

 black collar and breast (from which it derives the name Blax-k-fronted) 

 and black facial markings are relieved by the white throat and stomach, 

 the remainder of the dress being a brownish mottle. The legs are 

 orange-flesh colovir, likewise the bill, which is tipped with black. Brown 

 oyes, smTounded by bright-red eyelashes, add tO' the sprightly appearance 

 of the bird. The sexes are alike in colom- and in size. This Dottrel 

 is certainly the tamest. of the species, for I have watched them in pairs 

 a few yards from me chasing flies along the margin of a lagoon, or wading 

 knee-deep after aquatic insects. 



As Gould observes, this delicate little Dottrel avoids the boisterous 

 and exposed sea beaches, preferring to dwell on the serener margiii-s of 

 rivers and lagoons in the more genial climate of the Interior. That 

 great uaturalistj was the first to take its eggs, wliich he found deposited 

 on the groimd beside the Namoi River, New South Wales. 



My earliest recollection of tliis tame little species was the finding 

 of a clutch of eggs on the shores of the Albert Park Lagoon, near Mel- 

 boiuTie, by a schoolfellow, about 1869. 



In the MS. left for my perusal by my good friend Hermann Lau, 

 I find, with regai'd to /Ejiinlitis uij/rifrinis, ho says ; " It was a long time 

 In-fore I was enabled to find its breeding-place, because of its cunningiiess 

 and the similarity of the eggs to the colour of the gi'oimd. Even when I 

 first found the shell at Waroo (Queensland), on account of its large size, 

 I could not accept it as belonging to this dear little bird had I not dis- 

 covered near at hand three helpless yovnig in a small gravel hollow 

 between about half a dozen larger pebbles. Nothing soft was inside the 

 nesting hollow, save, remnants from insect food. On another occasion, 

 wiiile proceeding along a wide pebbly ridge, with the creek on one side 

 and an ana-branch on the other, 1 found, by mere chance, three eggs, 

 and observed the bird not fai ofT Birds, eggs or young, and pebbles 

 are all much alike in colour. There arc evidently two broods in the 

 season, because I have noticed eggs and young in October and again in 

 December.'' 



