Vol.^ XV. -j 1'"i.i;tchi:r, Nesting of I he Black Cormorant. 115 



One (lay my sisters and 1. witli our liit'ycles, were rowed across 

 the river and landed on the long beach which stretches 20 miles or 

 more to Waterhouse Point. Close to where we landed were half a 

 dozen nests of the Red-capped Dottrel [Mgialilis nificapilla). We 

 cycled for miles along the hard l^each, just above the flow of the 

 water, and an occasional extra large wave caused much merriment 

 if one of us was not quick enough to avoid its spray. This beach 

 was very ex])osed, and on the whole length travelled only one pair 

 of birds. Hooded Dottrels {Mgialitis monarcha), was seen. Their 

 nest, containing three eggs, was placed high up the beach in a 

 sheltered depression. 



We left our cycles in a protected hollow, and climbed up one of 

 the high sand-hills to see what lay behind. The view was grand, 

 but what interested us most was a large lagoon lying beyond the 

 sand-hills and bounded on the other side by a curving tea-tree- 

 fringed river. We made our way over the intervening half-mile of 

 sand and partly buried Banksia scrub to the edge of the lagoon. 

 A pair of Australian Pelicans {Pelecanus conspicillatus), many Black 

 Swans (Chenopis atrata), and several kinds of Ducks were out on its 

 waters. Some Little Black Cormorants {Phalacrocorax sulcirostris) 

 were perched on the tea-tree tops, and when they rose I noticed 

 several Black Coi'morants among them. I now felt that it was 

 highly probable that the latter species nested somewhere among 

 that vast region of flooded tea-tree country. It was not possible to 

 explore the lagoon without a punt. We found a Swan's nest ready 

 for eggs, and also saw a bird leave her nest. But the water was 

 dark and treacherous looking, suddenly deepened, and the long 

 floating leaves of fluke-weed were signs that wading was risky. So 

 the Swan's nest was not examined. 



It was not until the autumn of 1914 that I was able to take any 

 further steps to find the nesting place of P. carbo. I talked over 

 the possibiUties with Mr. A. W. Swindells, R.A.O.U., and he and I 

 decided to devote the Easter holidays to an exploration of the 

 supposed Cormorant rookery. From information gained by me, we 

 had come to the conclusion that the birds nested on the property 

 of a gentleman who allowed no hunting or shooting on his land. 

 However. Ire courteously gave me permission to explore. We left 

 Springfield on Easter Saturday, and made Bridport our head- 

 quarters. In an interview with the owner of the land mentioned 

 we were told that most certainly Cormorants nested along the 

 river ; also that there were two rookeries in which the Black 

 Cormorant (P. carbo) nested in company with the Little Pied 

 {P. melanolencus). One rookery was easy of access; the other was 

 some miles down the river, and was awkward to reach on account 

 of the submerged tea-tree. 



We were offered the loan of a boat if we cared to wait till 

 Monday, and the owner also said that he would accompany us, as 

 the entrance to the river across the lagoon was rather hard to find. 

 Unfortunately, on Monday he was ill, but, ample instructions 

 being given, we drove through several paddocks till we came to the 



