214 KALLID.^;. 



Gould remarks: — ■ " This Little Water Crake would appear to be more abundant in 

 Tasmania than on the continent of Australia, for altliou.nh I clearly ascertained that it inhabits 

 New South Wales, it is not so numerous there, in consequence, probably, of the country being 

 much less fluviatile, and therefore much less suitable to its habits." Probably when Gould 

 visited Sydney it may have been an exceptionally dry period, but the fact remains that Por^nna 

 piilnstii's, is the commonest species of the genus in the State, and nowhere is it more plentiful 

 than at Kandwick, l!otany and Coolc I^iver, in close proximity to Sydney. Of the numerous 

 specimens in the Australian Museum Collection, most of them were caught by the Pointers or 

 Water Spaniels of Mr. H. E. S. Jeboult, of Waverley, and the late Mr. Henry Newcombe, of 

 ivandwick. (Jn the «th September, 1904, the latter gentleman brought in three specimens so 

 caught by his dogs, when he was out shooting at Ivandwick the previous day. It is also 

 distributed in favourable situations all over Eastern New South Wales, from the northern to the 

 southern boundaries of tlie State, and is also found, but in inucii smaller numbers, in the Western 

 District, the late Mr. K. II. loennett forwarding a young bird from Mossgiel, and Mr. S. 

 ivobinson found it breeding at the same time, in company with the previous species, 1'. flniuiuca, 

 on Buckiinguy Station, about thirty miles north of Nyngan, in the Northern-Central District. 

 At Cook River I used to see more of the actions of this bird just about sundown, when sitting 

 down quietly fishing near their haunts; they frequently came out of cover to feed on the aquatic 

 weed-grown river. They swim and dive well, but usually they seldom resort to the latter 

 unless pursued, or to escape observation. 



Stomachs examined contained tlie remains of small black beetles, probably water beetles, 

 sometimes mixed with sand, and occasionally one or two very small fresh -water shells. 



From Copmanhurst, New South Wales, Mr. George Savidge writes:—" The Little Water 

 Crake ( 7'();:(7«(7 /'ii/»s/'r/s^ is at times plentiful on the Clarence River Swamps, usually making 

 its appearance suddenly after rains. The nest is placed in shallow water in a tussock of grass, 

 and the bird sits so close that it will almost let one ride over it before it quits. The nests I 

 found contained from four to six eggs, and the breeding season was from October to the end of 

 January." 



From Melbourne Mr. G. A. Keartland writes me : — " Whilst some of the Crakes may be 

 found a consideraMe distance from water, I invariably found the Little Water Crake ( Poi'zaua 

 pnlustris ) within one hundred yards of a swamp, creek or waterhole. In \"ictoria, Ballan, Whittlesea 

 and Mornington are the districts in which I have obtained specimens. These birds generally arrive 

 about October, and soon commence breeding. The nest is usually f(jund within twenty yards 

 of the water's edge, and the bird soon forms a well-defined path from the water to the nest, by 

 constantly following the same track, so that a careful search near the water soon reveals it, and 

 that can be followed to the nest." 



Writing on the 23rd January, lyoi, from .\delaide, South Australia, Dr. .A.M. Morgan 

 remarked : — " I saw Poi-zaua palustrh in the Botanical Gardens last week. This is the first 

 example I have seen of it near Adelaide for many years." 



Mr. Malcolm Harrison wrote from Hobart, Tasmania: — " 1 have never seen an example of 

 the Little Water Crake (Poi'cnna paliistris), or heard of it being observed near Hobart. Apparently 

 it prefers the larger swamps, and is more widely distributed. For the two sets of five eggs each 

 in my collection I am indebted to Mr. A. E. Brent, who informs me that the nesting places are 

 almost invariably surrounded by comparatively deep water, into which the bird dives at once 

 when disturbed. From specimens forwarded to me from various parts of the State, I am led to 

 believe that the species is fairly widely distributed in Tasmania. The eggs appear to me to 

 resemble in shape and streaky mottled markings (although of course not in size or colour) those 

 oi Povzana tahuensis, and do not bear any resemblance to those of P. flti'niiKa." 

 * Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. II., p. 340 (18O5). 



