•JO AKlli;iI>;E, 



fronted Herons use them as the principal food for their yount,'. In lyuO I chnibed to a nest in 

 which there were four half-fledged young birds ; as soon as 1 looked up into the nest all four of 

 them hacked away from me to the far edge ot the nest, and then all disgorged their last meal, 

 which consisted of nothing but grasshoppers ; this they had no sooner done than they commenced 

 to pick them up again and swallow them. A few pairs of birds breed here in the Red Gum and 

 Apple-trees growing on the banks of the Talbragar River, and 1 have known them when not 

 interfered with to return three successive seasons to the same nest. During the drought of igo8 

 these birds kicked their eggs out of the nest as soon as the clutch was complete." 



Writing horn Yandembah Station, in the Lachlan District, New South Wales, m i88y, 

 the late Mr. I\. H. Bennett remarked : — "The White-fronted Heron {Aidt-n iiovir-hollaiidiu-) is 

 the most common species of the family in this district, being found wherever there is water, and 

 giving preference to that surrounded by timber. It usually breeds in September and October, 

 and lays from three to five eggs of a beautiful light blue colour. The nest, which is usually 

 placed in the fork of some horizontal branch overhanging water, is a very rude structure, 

 consisting of sticks placed across the fork, and through the interstices the eggs can be seen from 

 below. Before the young leave the nest the latter becomes very offensive from the quantity of 

 accumulated excrement deposited. This reniaik applies also to all the nests of the .\kueid.+; I 

 have seen as well as that of Platihis flavipa.'' 



From Melbourne, Victoria, Mr. G. .A. Keartland sent me the following notes: — "The 

 White-fronted Heron (NotopJioyx nova-hollandia ) is found from the coast line to the centre of the 

 continent. I have found the nests of these birds in the stunted Gums on the Werribee Swamps, 

 and in tall trees on Davenport Creek, Central Australia. They are usually silent birds, but one 

 which had its nest near our camp on the Finke River made a tremendous croaking noise 

 whenever any of our party approached its nesting tree. They are very useful birds, and not 

 only destroy large numbers of yabbies, water beetles and fresh-water snails, but also consume 

 crickets and grasshoppers. I had one for a long time as a garden pet, which used to kill numbers 

 of Sparrows. It used to walk slowly about the garden where the Sparrows were feeding, and 

 when within reach of its victim would seize and knock it on the giound a few times, dip it in 

 the water tin and swallow it whole." 



Mr. Tom Carter, writing me from Albany, Western .\ustralia, in January, 1910, remarks : — 

 " Notoplioyx novce-hoUandicT is by far the commonest Heron in this State, and is to be met with 

 wherever there is water, fresh or salt. I think these birds are more numerous in the south-west 

 than the north-west. They may be seen in flocks feeding in the harbour here." 



Dr. Lonsdale Holden wrote me from Circular Head, Tasmania ; — " A White-fronted Heron 

 (Ai'dca iiovir-holliindiie) was brought to me on the ist February, 1887. It was caught at the foot 

 of the wharf at Circular Head, unable to fly, and appeared to be cramped. In May, 1888, I 

 observed this species in small flocks frequenting the upland and other grass paddocks of the 

 Circular Head Peninsula, an occurrence I had not noticed before, and new also to other observers 

 here." 



From Hobart, Tasmania, Mr. Malcolm Harrison sent me the following note: — " Wherever 

 standing water is to be found in Tasmania there will the White-fronted Herons occur in larger 

 or smaller numbers. They occasionally appear to get exceedingly tame, and I have seen one or 

 two take possession of an old waterhole within the boundaries of a suburb of Hobart, and remain 

 there quite undisturbed by passing vehicles or trams. They usually nest not far from their 

 feeding haunts, and if their eggs are taken will continue depositing clutch after clutch in the 

 same nest. Mr. Eric Kermode recorded five consecutive clutches in the Midland District, and 

 Mr. Brent in 1909 took four clutches from the one nest, and the bird is now (first week in 

 January, 1910) well on in the incubation of her fifth set." 



