.VESTS AAD EGGS Of MSTKAUAA' BIRDS. ygy 



Mr. Keaitliind remarks that newly-liatched Black-fronted Dottrels 

 are probably the most liandsome of all Australian birds in the down. 

 His further observations in the " List of Birds " of the Calvei-t Expedi- 

 tion conccrniug|this species are : " At all creeks or pools passed between 

 MuUawa and the Fitzioy River this active little Dottrel was found, either 

 singly or in paii-s, lauining along the margin of the water in search of 

 small aquatic insects. During August several young birds, just able 

 to fly. were shot at the camel depot, ;uid one fresh egg was picked up 

 beside a pool. On 7th November I found several paii-s of newly-hatched 

 young ones on the sandy bed of the Fitzroy River. Although probably 

 not more than a day or two old, they ran very quickly for some distance 

 before being caught. When one was captui'ed it invariably proved that 

 the other had escaped dimng the chase." 



Breeding months, August, or sometimes earlier, to the end of the 

 year. 



1 have previously menlioued one or two instances of birds 

 supposed to be fascinated by snakes. Here is another. Dm-ing one of 

 liis shooting outs, Mr. Tom Musgrove, junr., Wharparilla, Victoria, 

 noticed a Black-fi-onted Dottrel, which was apparently mesmeiised by 

 a snake close by. The snake, when killed, had a frog in its mouth. 

 This snake must have been a very greedy reptile. Was it going to tuni 

 its attention to the bird after it had disposed of the frog? Or had the 

 bii"d been merely attracted towards the snake out of curiosity to see 

 what was going on ? 



613. — ^-Egiautis cucullata, Vieillot.- — (508) 

 ^. monacha, Geoffroy. 



HOODED DOTTREL. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds ol Australia, fol., vol. vi., pi. i8. 



'Reference. — Cat. Bird.s Brit. Mus., vol. xxiv., p. 302. 



Previous Deseriptiotts of Eggs. — Gould : Birds of .Australia (1848) , 

 also Handbook, vol. ii., p 231 (1865); Ramsay: Proc. Linn. 

 See, N.S. Wales, vol, vii. (1882); North: Austn. Mus. Cat., 

 with fig., p. 304 (1889); Campbell: Proc. ,\ustn. Assoc, 

 vol. v., p. 434 (1893). 



Geographical Distribution. — South Queensland, New South Wales, 

 Victoria, South and West Australia, Tasmania, and intennediate 

 islands. 



Nest. — A shght circular depression m the sand just above high-water 

 mark, sometimes scantily lined with small broken stems and bladders of 

 seaweed and dead polyzoa. 



Egffs. — Clutch, two, but usually three; pyriform inclined in shape; 

 textm-e of shell fine ; sm-face without gloss ; coloiu', of a beautiful soft 

 stony shade, marked over with numerous spots and small irregular- 



