SYN(i:crs, 1 71) 



of by coveys of Brown and otiier (Jiiail, to luxiiiiate upon the ;,eeds wliich fell from tlie wild 

 grasses that had sprinv^ up, so that in the early niornin;:; ^leat numbers were to be fonnd 

 on the old beds, and at midday they sou;;ht slielter in the old drains from the heat, and no 

 doubt indulged in extra gluttony upon the various kinds of seeds which existed there. In 

 thick clumps of grass in sheltered nooks in the deserted gardens, these birds made their nests and 

 brought forth their young ; also along the coast the nests were to be found at the edge of dense 

 scrubs." 



Mr. Robert Grant has handed me the following notes: — "Many years ago the Swamp 

 (hiail f,Sj7/(Ci;(5 iiusti'ijtis ) was \ery plentiful around Litligow and Hartley \'ale, on the Blue 

 Mountains. It prefers marshy and swampy grounds, over-grown with rushes and tall grasses, 

 intersected with clear streams of running water. In these situations I ha\e flushed as many as 

 fourteen in one llock. I also found it plentiful in various swamps around Wallerawang and in 

 the W'olgan N'alley. This bird lies or sits very close to the L;round, and I ha\'e freijuently 

 almost trod on it before it would rise, and it does not lly far before settling again. It \aries 

 very much in plumage: I have shot as many as nine out of a tlock, and scarcely two were alilce 

 in ground colour, which varies from a light sandy to a rich ruddy colour. ,\11 the nests were 

 built of dried grasses under the shelter of a tuft of reeds or rushes, never far from water, and 

 contained from eight to twelve eggs in number for a sitting. Stomachs e.xamined contained 

 various seeds, insects and worms." 



The late Mr. K. H. Bennett, writing from the Mossgiel District, in South-western New- 

 South Wales, remaiked : — "The Swamp Quail ( Syiicriiis iinstiuilisj is an occasional Init rare 

 visitant. I have ne\er known of an instance of its breeding here." 



Mr. Percy Peir wrote from Campsie, near Sydney, in April, H)ii : — " Some years ago I 

 came across a couple of young Swamp (juail (Syii,rais nustrdlisj in the Centennial Park, which 

 appeared to have been hatched two or three days, and on taking them home placed them under 

 a bantam with chickens, and they were successfully reared. Within a fortnight they could Hy 

 from the enclosure, but never wandered far away. The following season I succeeded in raising 

 a couple of broods of six and seven respectively as easily as one would rear chickens. Once 

 when on a visit to Wyong Creek I saw, amongst the poultry in the yard of a friend, a number of 

 Swamp Quail feeding, and was assured by him that this was quite a common occurrence just 

 after breeding season." 



From Melbourne, \'ictoria, Mr. G. A. Keartland wrote me: — "The Swamp or 'Brown' Ouail 

 (Sy]iariis austi'iilis) \s a local species, and if undisturbed will remain within half a mile of the 

 same spot throughout the year. During spring and summer their chief food consists of seeds, 

 grasshoppers, etc., but in autumn and winter they live principally on clover leaves and other 

 soft green food. They are often found in coveys of a dozen or tnore. If flushed they all fly in 

 different directions, and frequently drop into the centre of grass tussocks, where they remain 

 until danger is past. This renders them hard for the dogs to find, but as soon as they 

 are heard calling it is a sure sign that they are running towards each other, and are then 

 easily found. Although in Victoria they are usually seen near creeks and rivers, or in swampy 

 ground, I shot several in Central .Australia which were flushed from some Kangaroo grass on a 

 dry creek- flat. In North-western Australia I found many of their eggs, and flushed the birds 

 quite twenty miles from the nearest water. Their flesh is perfectly white, and a well-conditioned 

 bird weighs a trifle over four ounces. They thrive and breed in captivity, furnishing a most 

 interesting study. The female lays from ten to thirteen eggs in a slight hollow scraped in the 

 ground, and by spreading the long feathers on her sides at right angles to her body is able to 

 cover them all. She does all the sitting, and when the brood is hatched the male is not allowed 

 near the chicks for the lirst seven days, after which he is \ery attentive to both mother and 

 young, picking up insects, seed, or any dainty morsel and calling them to it. During this time 



