^°'i^"] MACGILLIVRAY, Australian Pelican. 167 



along the shore or feeding out from it on the green herbage. 

 When thus engaged the tail is carried in a horizontal i)osition, 

 but when alarmed and on the alert or running, ii is held erect, 

 giving the I)ird the appearance of a bantam hen. 



A \\ hite Ibis (Thrcskioriris molucca) was busily engaged stir- 

 ring the shallow water with open bill, going back and forward 

 and from side to side fossicking amongst decaying branches or 

 tinder logs and making occasional rushes when somethmg which 

 his efforts had disturbed tried to escape. 



Coots {Fulica atra) are plentiful on the water where they are 

 thoroughly at home or walking along the edge in their clumsily 

 erect fashion in marked contrast with the more active and grace- 

 ful Water Hen (Microtrihonyx veutralis). Galahs (Cacatua 

 roscicapilla) are numerous, and there are odd pairs of Sulphur- 

 Crested Cockatoos (C galerita) in the trees. Greenies [Meli- 

 phaf/a pcuicillata) busily searching the leaves and branchlets for 

 food are in numbers. On the previous day we had seen a pair 

 feeding young in an almost invisible nest pendent in a gum 

 branchlet near the hut on the creek. Brown Tree-Creei)ers 

 (Climactcris picuiiuia) run up and round the trunks of the box 

 trees, the rough bark making their progress easy and supi)lying 

 a meal from the insects and other creatures hidden in its crevices. 



After breakfast all but the cook take to the boat and proceed 

 upstream towards Cawndilla Lake. We soon come to a small 

 heronry of Egrets {Bgretta alba) that we had examined a 

 month previously. Most of the nests now contain young birds. 

 The old birds fly anxiously around, uttering their harsh croak- 

 ings as we proceed to a closer view. The nests are built wholly 

 of sticks, and average about 1 foot in diameter with a depth of 

 6 inches, some being more compactly and substantially built 

 than others. Further on we again disturb Night-Herons from 

 the trees in numbers, and every few yards either Blue (White- 

 faced) Herons, Spoonbills or Darters from their nests, and 

 flocks or broods of Ducks from the water. We come to where 

 the creek blends with the water of Cawndilla Lake. A fair 

 wind is blowing, and we can see and hear the waves breaking 

 on the shores and surface of the lake. The trees bordering the 

 creek thin out, and we land on a small island off the right bank, 

 Mr. .\11ison remaining to bale the boat, whilst the rest of the 

 ])ariy wade out in the shallow w^ater to exaniiine some scattered 

 iio.N trees. Two Darters' nests are first met with, one contain- 

 ing Ave large downy young standing bolt upright on the nest, 

 the other silhouetted against the sky shows the old bird sitting 

 on it. Our efforts to photograph these are frustrated by the 

 large young birds flopping into the water, and the old bird fly- 

 ing off before we are near enough for our ])urpose. The second 

 nest contained newly hatched young as yet naked. Several 

 other trees of this group support nests of the Little Black Cor- 

 morant. 



