2Gfi LOIilVANELLIN/E. 



From Broken Hill, South-western New South Wales, Dr. \V. Macgillivray wrote as 

 follows: — " Eiythi'flgoiiys limins is quite common on the swamps and lakes of Western New 

 South Wales, especially those bordered by sheltering PoIyi;onuin bushes, cane grass, or " currant 

 bushes," where they may be seen dodging about in and out on the mud amongst the bushes, or 

 resting under their protecting shade, not so much from the sun's rays, as from predatory Hawks. 

 They seem to be more gregarious in their habits than most of the allied genera." 



From Melbourne, X'ictoria, Mr. G. A. Keartland sent me the following notes: — "One of 

 the prettiest sights to be seen on the margin of a shallow swamp, in North-western Australia, 

 is a flock of Erytlivogonys ductus running backwards and forwards in pursuit of aquatic insects 

 amongst the weeds. Their graceful movements as they pass and repass each other, almost 

 suggest that tliey are indulging in a dance. Most of the flocks I saw were accompanied by a 

 wader of another species. In one instance it was a Greenshank (Glottic uchulai-ius), and on three 

 occasions the stranger was a Marsh Tringa ( Hctei'opy<:^ia ncinniuata )." 



Dr. A. M. Morgan wrote me from Adelaide, South Australia, as follows: — " I saw several 

 pairs of EvytJtrogonys ductus in the swamp behind the Glenelg golf links, on the 26th November, 

 1910. They were in pairs, and behaved as though nesting, but I failed to find any eggs. I 

 have not Icnown them to visit these parts before." 



From Port Augusta, South Australia, Dr. A. Clienery wrote as follows in July, 1901 : — 

 "After rain in February, this year, I paid a visit to Arcoona Station in April, one hundred and 

 forty miles north-west of here. I saw Eiythi'ogouys ductus with two recently hatched young." 



Mr. Tom Carter sent me the following notes from South-western Australia: — " Eiythroqonys 

 ductus is not often seen, and appears to be rare. It was only twice noted in North-western 

 Australia, viz., on 28th October, 1899, a pair of adults with three immature birds were seen on 

 a pool inland from I'oint Cloates, and on the 2nd May, 1900, a nest of four eggs, well hidden in 

 a samphire bush, was found on an island in a flooded salt marsh near the same place. The 

 chicks were just chipping the shells. On the 20th March, 1906, I shot a I\ed-kneed Dotterel 

 at one of my stock tanks at Broome Hill." 



The eggs are four in number for a sitting, varying in form from short ovals, rather pointed 

 at the smaller end, to pyriform or pear shape, the shell being close-grained, smooth, dull and 

 lustreless, or having only a very little lustre. In ground colour they vary from a cream to a pale 

 creamy-brown, over which is more or less thickly distributed a network of fme wavy lines, with 

 which are intermingled very irregular-shaped freckles, spots and blotches of blacli. As a rule 

 the lines and blotches are evenly dispersed, on some specimens the former are almost entirely 

 absent, and yet again on others several lines run in the same direction, producing markings as 

 if they had been placed on the shell with a quill pen, or several of the irregular blotches are 

 confluent, forming here and there large patches on the shell. All the markings are well defined 

 and on the outer surface ; there are no underlying lines, spots or blotches. A set of four 

 taken by the late Mr. K. II. Bennett on Yandembah Station, near Booligal, South-western New 

 South Wales, on the 23rd November, 1889, measures: — Length (A) 1-31 x 0-89 inches; (B) 

 1-29 X 0-87 inches; (C) i-2j x 0-87 inches; (D) 1-32 x 0-87 inches. A set of four in the 

 Australian Museum Collection, taken by Mr. S. Robinson near Burrenbilla bore, Cunnamulla, 

 Southern Queensland, on the loth September, 1897, measure : — Length (A) 1-25 x o-88 inches, 

 (B) I'lS X 0-88 inches ; (C) i'22 x 0-87 inches; (D) i'23 x 0-87 inches. Another set of four 

 taken by Mr. S. Robinson on the i6th April, 1903, in the same locality, measures: — Length 

 (A) i'2i X 0-87 inches; (B) 1-23 x 0-87 inches; (C) 1-22 x o-88 inches; (D) i"23 x 0-87 

 inches. 



In Eastern Australia the normal breeding season is during September and the four following 

 months, but it is greatly regulated by the rainfall, these birds often nesting immediately after 



