Q42 NKSTS AND EGGS 07- AUSTRATJAN lilllDS. 



WAtTfin, ot nc»tH on the rookery, only a f'tw arc o'cupiirl wiili young — 

 fielplcw, not, many ihtyn old, Tli';ir tic,;wJ« an; l>l;u;k, and Uh' ftinkiMh 

 Hkin of U\<: r<;fil- of l/h'.-ir f<0'Jii;H hFiowm ntronfjly lhrouf.4i a nio'lcrate 

 roatinjj of whiU: fJown. Th<; waU;r li'^n; iw ahoilt four or five fi;<:(, dct-p, 

 t,ho j>at,(;h of ru«h<;» tioinjf about half-an-;u,T(; in extent. The birdw have 

 trampled down the norl/h and wewtern rnarginH for their nurHcry, leaving 

 th<! greater (JOfiion of th'; bulruxlien Mt,aiiding, whieh appears U> afford an 

 exeelient protcHJon iim a break wind, UarkneHH now (-re<-pM over the wat<;r, 

 and moivjuitocH heeome exeei;dinj.dy niiin<;roui and (ieree, I'orpliyrio 

 Cootii wreech defiantly at uh from oiit of the reedx, hut the MW<:et alarm 

 notew of a floek of pawwinff I'loverw, the trumpetinj^ of thi; Nativi; 

 (JompanionH in the dJMtanee, to((ether with the booming ba«M of UitternH 

 at variouH parts of the vast nwamp, fall aw charming muHic on our earn, 

 ('arefully now we move, and peiring through the gloom Hteer for the 

 higher end of the Hwamp, where, fortunately, we eawily ulrike tin; riviir, 

 and ifwiftly gliding with a r.ipid current on a broad litream for about 

 a mile in the darknewM, we reach home in Kafety, 



Visiting the rookery two KcanonK aflcrwardx, on tlir; Sth November, 

 we f;btained only one egg fre»h. Kvidently thi^ birdM wr;re about to 

 lay, for eleven dayn later we took two egg« c.'ich from two ncHtH, and 

 thre(! eggH each from othrir two nentK, while in anothf^ part of the 

 nurHcry we took four ncHtu, ea/:h conlaining three eggH either fr'^nh or 

 on (-he j)oint of turning. Again, on the 7th iJeconber, Mr, Moi-lon, 

 vi::iti/ig the rookery, wliicli wa« then in full Mwing, counted in one group 

 of liCMtH four containing tlirc-i; eggn efu:h, I wo willi two, and orje with 

 four, all appar(!ntly frcHh. 



On another occa«ion fHth November, \H'.)'2), in company wiilj om 

 good (ielrj naturalint, Mr. Joi(e])h fJ/ibrie], I ag;iin enjoyed an oj)por 

 (unity of viiiiting anotln-i' Whi(e Ibi-t rookery fur (her down (he rivr;r, 

 Thi:! ne'iting ])lacf: wait not ho ex(<;nMive an the one previounly deneribefl, 

 being only a c,luMt,er of five ncHtK, thiH time in cum burigie (Ti/plin ) bedx. 

 An UHUal, tfie n(!HtH vii'Ti: built near to (he HUrface of the water, and to 

 l-h'! maf,t,ed reedn wa« ;uldi'd a picnt.iful mipply of eucalypt t)ranchletM, 

 f>aying operal/iouH had only commenced, for (fieri! wnw not mori? (,h«n a 

 pair <rf oggH in any of the neM(,H. 



Hei! illuntratioiiH, " A Wlii(,e Ibi;* Itookei y ' .md " NcHt of t,lie 

 Wlli(e, \\m." 



Of)0. ''.MM'IIIHIH VI'INII Ol.f.lK, J.imc'ion (U'.W) 



.S'I'IfAVV NKCKKI) IMIH, 



I'inurr. — ffOiild : IliriU o( Aiinlriilia, fol., vo( vi , pi /^t,. 



Hfjirfner.--V.;\\, lljrilt Uril, Miin,, vol, »xvi,, p ii 



I'rniioH* tJeuripllotis of Hi'j:^- I.iichm : Vic(oiiiiM Niiliiriili'il (|HH|); 

 (Jiiiiiplirll ; Vicloriiiii N;iliir;iliil (1KH7); Noilli Ainlii .Mie, 

 ':.,!,, p (!■' (iH^o). 



Ihiiiirii phifdl Dinlrihiil'titii . VVIioN' of Aiin(iali,i and 'I'.i iii.iiiia 

 ((U!cideii(al^ ; alito New Ouinea, 



