From All Sources. 17 



In it were three pointed eggs, white with reddish-brown spots round the 

 top. Six days later, I found two tiny, naked birds, newly hatched in their 

 cradle; the third egg had not come out. The parents hovered anxiously, 

 above me, uttering their nasal " tomg " as I peeped into their nursery. 

 Another week passed and the two nestlings had become a fluffy mass of 

 grey down, and opened yellow-lined beaks at my approach, and two days 

 later they had already brown wing feathers, white throats, and white-lined 

 tails, and gazed at me with sharp, black eyes. On the following day, a 

 warm, sunny one, the fledglings' had left their nest, and were fluttering gaily, 

 among red-berried svvce -briars, in company with numerous other chats 



N,ATi\r Hfns. " Lancewood."— Periodically, and yet at no regular 

 times, the HIack-taile i Native Hens {Microtnbonyx ventrulis) come sud- 

 denly in swarms, appearing simultaneously in every creek and waterhole 

 over hundreds of miles of country in the interior, and as suddenly dis- 

 appearing after a sojourn of several weeks' duration, or even a 

 couph; ol months. SomeimRs it ;happens in dry weather, and again in good 

 seasons, so no reason can be found for their migrations. They come in 

 thousands, and a e ve-y tarns, often never rising from the ground if 

 disturbed, merely running across the intruder's path, then standing with 

 their heavy tails bobbing up and down in a curious manner. All day they 

 keep close about the water, camping in ths long cane gras., but in the 

 evening and morning tjiey feed, out in flocks, parhaps a quarter of a mile 

 away. They rarely rise high above the ground in their flight, but run 

 and fly alternate'.y, and o.te wonders if they pursue this inodei of 

 orogression when journeying from distant parts. When in such swarms 

 they do much damage in gardens near the river banks, running over 

 and trampling down all young plants, and in the sime way the vegetation 

 near the wa.er is eaten and destroyed, while shallow watei;-holcs are 

 spoiled and fouled, with their continual bathing and running about in 

 them. Although they seem b; sy running about all day, it is a^^ pight 

 that they are most active, and come farther away from the lajoons. 

 One hear? their heavy flight, then a scurry as they alight in the gardens ; 

 while they of.ei drop on i on-roofed houses, mistaking the whiteness 

 for water in the night (as do also wild duck), and, attracted l>y the 

 lights within, \\\.\ even fly through open windows. In the heat of the 

 day it is amusi ig to watch them bathing. They congregate on a slimy 

 mudbank, ju,t r si ig out of the water; and f.om it they run into shtillows, 

 rolling splashing ana diving ur;tii thoroughly wei, whet» they return to 

 preen and dry eaii feather, while some o:he s start splashing. Then, 

 when thoroughly satisfied— but it may take several dips before this end 

 is reached -the whole group will go to sleep on the little island, heads 

 under their wings ; yei should any bird fly over them in an instant 

 they are on the a lert, and flart for shelter to the reedy banks. .Al- 

 though they arc so aitive on land, they arc strong swimmers, and move 

 quickly througli the water, in spite of having unwebbed feet. Without 

 any warning thcv d:s.ippcar as suddenly as they came, and years 

 may pas- before even an i^o'a'cd flock of thrm be seen agiin. 



