NESTS AND EGGS 01- AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. loOI 



tliought about nesting. A curious tiling about the nesting plaee was 

 tlio birds seemed to have commenced to hiy at the lower end of the 

 ground, and a-s others came, fchey had to take theii* places a little higher 

 up the slope, and so on to the top, for at the lower end the yoimg birds 

 were large, and they gradually became smaller higher up, followed by 

 eggs far advanced in incubation, which gradually became quite fresh 

 at the top end, and then again above this there were a few fresh 

 serat<-hes in the sandy gi-oimd, showing that a few birds still intended 

 to lay within a day or two. There must liave been from IjO to 200 

 nests, or apologies for nests, situated from about three to four feet 

 apart, apparently the sitting birds being just out of each other's reach. 

 The eggs varied in size considerably, some being very much longer than 

 others, and some veiy short and stumpy. The stench was very im- 

 pleasaut, tiie weather for weeks had been hot, and the old birds had 

 carried fish for their yomig in excess of the demand, and it lay about 

 putrefying in the sun. 



" But this was reduced to a considerable extent by the Crows, wliich 

 settled evei-y now and then and flew off with some of the ' delightful ' 

 booty. I also saw several nests of the Black Swan amongst the salt- 

 bush growing on the island. The nests contained from three to six 

 eggs of the usual size and coloiuing. The White-breasted Cormorant 

 had also just commenced to incubate, for some of their nests were 

 placed here and there amongst and near the Pelicans' abode. The 

 weather looked threatening, and I could see a change was not far off. 

 The black also became uneasy, and was anxious to return to terra 

 firma of the mainland. So after procuring a few sets we started for 

 the shore, but only jvist in time, for we had barely reached shelter when 

 the change came, and the bosom of the water was changed into ripples, 

 then from ripples to rough waves. 



'■ We reloaded the dray with the boat as soon as possible, and as the 

 black man had led the horse down with us, we sent him back in hke 

 fashion, while we retraced our steps to the first shelter we could get, 

 which was about three or four miles along our homeward jomney. We 

 were late in getting along, and it was some time after dark when we 

 arrived at the place, quite tired out with having such an anxious day, 

 and also having little or no sleep the night before. But such are 

 among the joys of a field naturalist." 



