^°j-^"-] Mattixglky, J Visit to Heronries. 67 



entangling aquatic growths. During these outings we came in 

 contact with the sombre White-fronted Heron {Notophoyx 

 iioviB-Jiollandiie), commonly known as the Blue Crane. Paddling 

 down Warwick Creek on one occasion one of these Herons was 

 observed sitting on her nest at the end of a limb some 70 feet 

 high. Wishing to investigate the nest, we, after an hour's 

 labour, during which we nearly capsized our frail craft, managed 

 to pass our rope ladder up to the extreme end of the bough. 

 So frail looked the support, so far distant from the main trunk, 

 from which it projected at right angles, that our swampsman in 

 charge of the boat looked askance at so perilous a climb, but up 

 one of us went. The muscles of the climber, wearied with the 

 constant poling of the boat, inwardly groaned at this unwonted 

 exercise, but these groans were not heeded. Finally the nest 

 was reached, and five beautiful blue-tinted eggs rewarded the eyes 

 (see Emu, vol. vii., plate iv.) Unlike other Australian Herons, 

 which nest together in rookeries, or rather heronries, the White- 

 fronted is a solitary and unsociable bird, preferring to nest by itself, 

 for which purpose it chooses a tree overhanging one of the 

 many creeks. Occasionally, however, we found two nests in one 

 tree, and in one instance we observed in the same tree a nest of 

 large young ones, and below it on another limb another nest 

 containing five typical eggs, whilst overhead in the topmost 

 branches a Goshawk (Aster) had built its nest. When dis- 

 turbed the young Blue Herons lie flat down in the nest, and 

 by stretching their long necks and tails beyond the edges of 

 of the nest, meanwhile remaining perfectly rigid, attempt to 

 simulate the appearance of the surrounding wood and sticks, 

 which they do to perfection. The long, thin neck and the 

 white patches on the face, intermingling with the greyish-blue, 

 appear, when viewed from below, to be one of the limed sticks 

 of their nests. There is no doubt but that the sombre greyish- 

 blue colour of the White-fronted Heron is a protection against 

 the attacks of its enemies, and for this reason it is unnecessary 

 for it to protect itself and offspring by joining in with the 

 members of its own species and resorting in common with them 

 to a heronry to breed. Their nest is like a shallow plate about 

 I foot or I foot 5 inches in diameter, and as a rule is composed 

 of fine sticks. In it are cradled from four to five beautiful blue 

 eggs. When freshly laid the eggs and nest are clean, but it is 

 not long ere the nest and its surroundings become freely 

 bespattered with excreta, which tinges them with white. The 

 young birds are comical, ungainly balls of slaty-blue down, and 

 appear to possess heads much too large for their bodies. The 

 height of the nest from the ground varies from about 20 feet to 

 90 feet. 



On the 9th of November, 1906, we judged the time to be ripe 

 for the main object of our visit, which was to journey to the 



