168 MACG^JJVK.\^•. .lustraHan Pelican. Tisfjan" 



On our return to the boat, we are informed that many of 

 these birds have been flying on along the creek carrying sticks 

 in their bills. 



We soon come to their nesting trees, several large red gums 

 being covered with nests. Many birds are busily constructing 

 their nests; other nests contain eggs at all stages of incubation 

 or young from the newly hatched to fully feathered birds. In 

 this colony were a few nests of the Pied and of the Little Pied 

 Cormorant. 



About 100 yards further on a group of trees is occupied by 

 nesting Egrets, mostly Bgretta alba, with a few E. c/arzetta. 

 The larger nests of B. alba contain three to four eggs, occas- 

 ional ones five; some only one or two, and many nests are in- 

 complete. The nests of the Little Egret were higher up in the 

 trees, and were not examined. The birds returned to the trees 

 whilst we were underneath or flew round above, or made uneasy 

 short flights from tree to tree uttering their harsh croakings. 



By our binoculars we made out a host of Pelicans about a 

 mile and a half out towards the other shore, where an island 

 was gradually being formed by the subsidence of the waters. 

 We start over as the wind has fallen, and the surface of the 

 lake moderating. W^e pass more Cormorant trees, the three last 

 being covered with the nests of the Pied Cormorant, with a 

 fewer number of those of the Little P)lack. These nests con- 

 tained eggs and young at all stages. The egg clutches for both 

 species consisted of from three to five eggs, the three clutches 

 being mostly incomplete or broken. The water to our left and 

 right was occupied by Ducks, Coots and Swans. Over in the 

 shallow water near the shore are hundreds of Avocets (Rccur- 

 virostra novcc-hoUandicc). Along the water line Red-capped and 

 P)lack-fronted Dottrels are feeding, and on the shore are hun- 

 dreds of Water-Hens {Microtnbonyx roitralis). 



On nearing the Pelican island, we see that it is thickly covered 

 with these great birds, whilst the water on either side is occu- 

 pied by large flotillas of them. A long narrow bank running 

 out from the centre of the island towards the centre of the lake 

 for about (|uartcr of a mile was also closely packed with them. 



The island itself was narrow and roughly crescentic in sha])e, 

 about ."^0 yards in width, and nearly one-third of a mile in length 

 The nesting birds did not attemjit to leave the island till we were 

 quite near, and then only those occupying the end near our 

 landing place left. When, however, we advanced along the island, 

 the air was soon full of birds, but those on the water in several 

 large flocks were swimming backwards and forwards or making 

 out from the islands, the flocks passing one another, but the 

 individuals of each flock all acting in unisr n. 



When we examined the nests we found that they were placed 

 about one yard apart, and occupied the whole island from shore 

 to shore, the more recent being near the margin on ground froni 

 which the water had onlv recentlv receded. Manv of the new 



