NESTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. ^53 



From the late Mr. T. H. Potts's beautiful description of the White 

 Herou in New Zealand I quote the following ; — " Little if anything was 

 known about its breeding habits. In ajiswer to enquiries, we foimd it 

 was generally said to breed in swamps. At last, in Decembei-, 1871, 

 from a sui'e somxej we he;u'd of a breeding place on the West Coast. 

 It was called a cranery. It was distant certainly, being on the other 

 side of the island, let lis say, between two and three himch'ed miles 

 from home. The writer and one of his sons, liaving ridden across the 

 island, and thence southerly to the junction of the Waitaugi with the 

 Waitoroa rivers, found the breeding station to be situated about three 

 miles inland fi'om the sea, on a stream called the Waitangi-tuna (wailing 

 river of eels). We reached the secluded home of the Kotuku (as the 

 Maoris call the bird) by boat, passing through forest scenery of wondrous 

 beauty. As the dense bush closed in, the swift flowing river on either 

 side, an open glade was formed where each stretch of water disclosed to 

 our delighted gaze fresh x-istas of surpassing loveliness — drooping mosses, 

 pendant fionds of pellucid ferns, waving like fairy banners; epiphytes, 

 broad Ucliens, and flowering climbei-s lent their aid to dress each tree 

 in endless shades of colour. The rimu and rata showed, in their well- 

 contrasted foliage, like rival forest queens, each worthy of a prize for 

 beauty. Oiu' raptiu'e with the wald gi-aces of the forest tarried briefly, for 

 rounding a little point, at once we lost all thought or care of what had 

 just caused us such vast dehght, in taking in the novel scene before us. 

 On the still au", suddenly sounded, came a rashing noise of wings, now 

 high above, and around us flew scores of small black Shags, and many 

 a noble-looking Heron, in high alarm, crossing the stream ,or following 

 its windings, soaring over the tops of the trees, or ghdiug past the deep 

 shadows of the woods. Our first siuprise over, we could note the 

 movements of the birds we had so much dismayed. In company with 

 many scores of sombre-pliunaged Shags, we could see from forty to 

 fifty wliite-robed Herons, displaying each trick of attitude and move- 

 ment, graceful or grotesque, as they brooded over or shuffled awkwardly 

 from off their nests, prepared for flight, took wing, glided aloft, settled 

 on tree tops, or prepared to alight. Wo foimd the small black Shags in 

 close association with the Herons. The structiu'es of the latter, in most 

 cases clustered round with the smaller basin-shaped nests of the Shags, 

 were built in a. variety of trees that stood close to, in cases partly over- 

 hanging the stream, at heights varying from eight to forty feet above the 

 groimd. Ai'ound several ti'ees were twisted the rough rope-hke stems 

 of the aspiring Rttbiii «(^v^r«/^s, and in one instance a Heron's nest 

 occupied the top of a tree fern, with the bird crouched over her charge, 

 the white phmiage showing through the spreading fronds ; this was 

 voted the gem amongst the abodes of the heroniy. The eggs were 

 three quite as often as foui' to each nest. On close examination we 

 found the eggs differed but little in size; in shape they did present a 

 slight variation in contour, from oval to rather long ovoid fonn ; colour, 

 pale-green, that evidently faded slightly dming the period of incubation. 

 W^hilst flying around and high above us, doubtless disgusted at om' 

 intrusion, a few birds now and then gave utterance to a hoarse call or 

 en- of ' kornk, kornk,' rejjeated at slow intervals. 



