ir>(> U<(Jl/J' — linfiiniij iiiiilcr hifftciili t). 



iilad to tiiid that it is not quite a total alistainer, as the follow- 

 inji' iineiestiii_i>' observation will prove. Dnrinj; December. 

 \\yi\. \n\ brotlier (Mi-. L. K. Medilpi had occasion to canijt for 

 several i\iylils in succession at a lar<>e stock tank on ^loola- 

 watana. On the second evenin<;\ jusr at dusk, he was sjir 

 pri>-ed to see tlock after Hock of these Dottrels arrivinii' from 

 the open, dry phiins in the vicinitv. After ali<ihtin<i' at the 

 water's edjjfe, the l)irds did not appear to be in an\- hurry to 

 drink, but for some time ran alon<«' the bank close lo the water, 

 ijjivinii: forth a barkinj>-like call, very similar to the bark of the 

 A\dret, I)ut hardly so shrill. The birds left sin.u'ly or in jtairs. 

 not in tlocks of twenty to thirty as tliey arrived at the water. 

 Thouiih my brother was at the tank for several evenin<i,s follow- 

 ing, no more Dottrels appeared. 



From tiie foi-efi'oin<>- it would seem that the Dottrel needs 

 water occasionally during:,- the summer, but the reuuirkable 

 rhin^i: is that on a certain eveninjj;- hundreds of them tlock to 

 water, yet they do not seem to water at other times. The 

 writer has known these birds for many years, but has not seen 

 a [>ottrel at the tanks. They do drink at surface waters, such 

 ak-- crabholes and chiypans. when availabh'. rratincoles. a 

 common bird at times on ^Moolawatana, come in to tank waters 

 fr<'«iuently durinji, the day. 



Breeding under Difficulty. 



l>y .1. Xi:ii, .M('(tiLi>. KiN(;'s I'auk. 



When at .Moolawatana (Lake Frome district) ivcently 1 

 was shown a nest u\ (rixicfiis aiidn.r ( l*'a,iile]ia wk ) . the owners 

 of which must have had i-ather an unpleasant (experience when 

 rearin«i' their younji. 



The nest was ori<>inally built ujton the top of what is 

 locally known as a Tar IJusli, a fuchsia-like flowerinjjj bush. 

 It was not more than four feet U{» from the <::round. 



Duriui; a heavy storm the supportinji" branchi's of the bush 

 .i:av<' way, and the nest was carried a distance of eii^ht feet, 

 landinjf on the uround the ris>ht way uj». Some days after- 

 wards one of my employees, \\hen ]>assinic the nest, was sur- 

 prised to find two youn«»- which were in the snow-white downy 

 sta.iie ('under a fortnif»ht old). These youn<; were successfully 

 leared in this nest. 



It is not unconinum to see Eajjlehawks nesiinji: close to tli<* 

 irronnd. T knew of one built in the lowest forks of a Needle 



