384 PODICIPKDIU.E. 



vicinity of Melbourne. The first nest I found was at the lal<e in the Botanic Gardens, then a 

 great resort of waterfowl. An elder lioy swimming out to it brought back nest and eggs by 

 placing them in a small bag, hung around his neck. Greatly to our surprise, for it was after night- 

 fall, the six eggs in it appeared ijuite black. On blowing them we found they were in a very 

 advanced stage of incubation, and the morning light revealed they were reddish-brown. The 

 next nest found had only two fresh eggs in it, and were of a pale bluish-white, coated with lime, 

 which is their real colour before lieing soiled and stained with the decaying humus with which 

 the nest is formed. On Albert Park Lake, at the St. Kilda end only, where some scattered 

 reeds on the remains of former islands were situated here and there in the water, their nests 

 were very numerous, being often placed within a few yards of one another, and these not two 

 hundred yards away from the boatshed. This part of the lalce was shallower than at the northern 

 end ; it was also stiller, for a narrow promontory, about two hundred yards in length, 

 extended from its southern end. Not only was it resorted to by IJlack-throated Grebes, but the 

 thick reed and rush-covered margin was the home and breeding ground for l'or:ana pahistris. 

 I have examined or taken as many as a score of Black-throated Grelie's nests in a single 

 afternoon. On the approach of an intruder the female, who is sitting and has covered herself 

 up with some of the weeds of which the nest is formed, quietly gets on to one side of the nest, 

 covers her eggs up, and dives at once, reappearing about ten or fifteen yards away. From over 

 one hundred nests examined, tive eggs was found to be the usual number laid for a sitting, 

 occasionally only four, and rarely six. 



These birds only bred in the shallow, still waters of the St. Kilda end of the lake, and for 

 not more than two or three seasons. They were constantly harried by our school boys; in fact 

 going for " Dabbles," a contraction of " Dabchick," by which name they were known to us, was 

 a favourite form of amusement after school hours. 



i\Ir. Thos. P. Austin sent me the following notes from Cobborah Station, Cobbora, New 

 South Wales: — " The Black-throated Grebe (Podicipcs nov,r-hoUaudiie) is the only species I have 

 e\'er known to visit this district, and at times it is very numerous. Although this bird is 

 looked upon as a poor flyer, it is wonderful where they come from, sometimes very suddenly. 

 During February, 1909, there were two heavy falls of rain on the 20th and 24th instant, filling 

 a large swamp here, which, like most of the swamps and lagoons, had been dry for many months. 

 On the morning of the 25th there must have been at least two hundred Grebes upon it ; 

 they stayed about a month, and then disappeared aliuost as suddenly as they came. They 

 are wonderfully quick at nest building ; a pair of them came to the house dam, which is only 

 about a hundred yards from my verandah, and their first nest I found on the 19th February, 

 190S, and took three eggs, then six more nests from the one pair of birds as follows : — 29th 

 February four eggs, gth March four, 20th March four, 30th March four, loth April four and 

 27th April three eggs, when I allowed them to hatch. The young birds departed as soon as 

 they were able to fly, but the old ones remained. One of them managed to get into the garden, 

 the gardener caught and brought it to me, and it had been in the garden to his knowledge three 

 days, so no doubt it was unable to fly off dry land. I took one joint off a wing, and put it back 

 in the dam; this was three months ago. They now have three more young birds. Last month 

 a few pairs were nesting in a lagoon where there was no timber, only floating water lillies, their 

 nests were soon found by the Kavens and all the eggs taken." 



Respecting the photograph from which the accompanying figure is reproduced, Mr. Austin, 

 writing on the 29th January, 1911, remarks: — "The long strip of water you mention in front 

 of the woolshed, where the Poduipcs uflVie-hoUandiiC used to breed, is now nearly dry, and all the 

 Grebes have departed, f lowever, I am enclosing you the photograph of a nest with four eggs, 

 taken on the 15th October, 1910, in the round lagoon in front of the huts. It is attached to a 

 fallen branch in four feet six inches of water, just in front of the willow tree you saw me swim 



