956 



NESTS A.VD EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



Xest. — A loosely constinicted platform of sticks, situated in a tree 

 Qverhauging a streanij or standing in a lagoon. The birds usually breed 

 in small companies or in a heronry, consisting of about twenty-five or 

 thirty nests. But occasionally the nests are solitary. 



Eygx. — Clutch, four, sometimes five ; vary in shape from roundish 

 to elliptical ; texture of shell coarse ; siu'face has faint trace of gloss, 

 and pitted; colour, light bluish-green, occasionally soiled with bird 

 lime. Dimensions in inches of a set of round ovals: (1) 2-17 x I'oG, 

 (2) 2-08 X 1-58, (3) 2-06 x 1-6; of an olliptic<il pair: (1) 2-23 x 1-49, 

 (2) 2-22 X 1-5. 



Observutiuns. — This handsome bird is found generally throughout 

 Australia and Tasmania, being partial to quiet swamps, where it is 

 sometimes observed in company with other wading birds, amongst 

 which it. is easily recognised by its dark-coloiued body contrasted with 

 white head, neck, and beautiful elongated breast feathers. The upper 

 part of the bill is black, the under portion of it yellow, while the feet are 

 black and the eyes dark-brown. Altogether it is a goodly-sized bird, 

 being about 30 inches in total length, and a stiiking object in a land- 

 scape when posed in a- picturesque lagoon. The Pacific Heron feeds 

 on frogs, newts, and aquatic insects, and its actions in walking about 

 lagoons in search i^of such prey are full of grace and elegance. When 

 distiu-bed it vitters a, hoarse, ventral note, and mounts up to the dead 

 limb of an adjacent tree. The last occasion I saw these fine Herons 

 at home was in a small swamp near the CanipasiJe River, where I 

 observed a pair for some time feeding in company with a pair of White- 

 fronted Herons, and a solitai'y Straw-necked Ibis, which, bustling about 

 in a hungry manner, was a contrast to the stately movements of the 

 Herons. 



For the beautiful eggs that grace my cabinet I am indebted to 

 Mr. E. H. Lane (of Wambangalang, New South Wales), who took them 

 from a heronry near Dubbo. Concerning them he writes : " I took the 

 nests on upper side of Derribong Run, on the East Began, about ten 

 miles above Dandaloo, in the mouth of September, 1880, dming the 

 last few days of the month. The nests were on rather stunted white 

 box-trees, within the edge of a small lagoon or swamp, and I had to 

 ride in with my nephew up to the saddle-flaps in water and hold his 

 horse while he chmbed for the eggs. Some of the trees had from 

 three to five nests in them, and altogether we visited from twenty to 

 thirty nests, some of which had young ones, others eggs far gone with 

 yoiuig, and in various stages to fresh. The number of eggs to each 

 nest was usually four, in an odd one three. In one of the trees where 

 tliere were three or four Herons' nests, was also that of a Yellow- 

 billed Spoonbill, with one freshly-Laid egg, which I was obliged to take, 

 as I was starting for Wambangalang station the following morning." 



A sohtary nest containing a pair of eggs just " chipped " was 

 observed at Coomooboolaroo (Queensland), about the middle of March, 

 1887. This fine Heron has been observed by Mr. K H. Bennett 

 breeding in company with the Yellow-legged Spoonbill (Flataha 



