;98 



NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



shaped iiiaikings iiiul dasla's iil' dark-brown or sepia. One egg of a 

 clutch taken on Phillip Island, Victoria, is distinctly paler in the ground- 

 colour than the remaining two. Dimensions in inches of a proper 

 clutch: (1) 1-4 X 1-01, (2) 1-39 X 102, (3) 1-36 x 1-01. The eggs, 

 excepting for their larger size, much resemble in character those 

 of the more common Rtd-capped Dottrel (JH. ruficapilla). 



Observations. — Anywhere on the sandy shores of Austi'alia (except 

 the northern coast) and Tasmania may be seen the very elegant Hooded 

 Dottrel. Wlien the Field Naturalists visited King Island. Ba.s^s Strait, 

 where the birds are numerous, they could not lieljj admiring the graceful 

 movements of the Hooded Dottrel as it tripped merrily along the bca<-li. 

 The male bird is veiy showy with his conspicuous black head (lience the 

 name Hooded). The female differs in having her head mottled with 

 white. The remainder of the plumage in both sexes is whitish or 

 delicate cream-colour, enhanced by beautiful eyes encircled with rich 

 scarlet eyelashes. Tliey are exceedingly plump little birds, not quite 

 so large as their inland relation, the Australian Dottrel. 



I well remember the last time we celebrated as a public lioliday the 

 anniversary of the Proclamation of the New Constitution of Victoria. 

 It was on November 23rd, 1884. I was on my way with anotlier field 

 natiualist to the Mutton Bird ( FufflDiix) " rookery," on Capo Wollomai, 

 Phillip Island. While rounding a little sheltered cove on that island 

 we flushed a. Hooded Dottrel from its nest on the shining sand. The 

 nest contained the full complement — three eggs, beautiful and fresh. 

 The eggs are by no means reacUly discovered, being speckled like the 

 sand whereon they are placed. 



The breeding months are from September to January, the principal 

 month being November. 



SUBr.\MILY PeLT0HY.\T1NvE. 



614. — Peltoiiyas (EunuoMiAs) au.stralis, Gould. — (505) 

 DOTTREL. 



Figure. — Gould: Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vi., pi. 15. 

 TtefcreiHc. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. xxiv., p. 307. 



Previous Dcscriplioiis of Eggs. — Ramsaj' : Proc. Linn. Soc, N.S. 

 Wales, vol. vii. (1S82I ; North: 'Austn. Mus. Cat., with fig., 

 app. (iSqo) ; Campbell : Proc. Austn. Assoc, vol. v., p 431 

 (1893). 



(I'riiiirii jihifiil Dixtrilixl ill}) . — Interior of Australia in general. 



Srst. — Merely a little hollow on a mound or elevated portion of 

 a plain. 



