154 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



before finding the latter we flushed a flock of about eight of 

 these fine birds, but with the exception of the one nest they had 

 only started building. Later on a few more Bitterns were flushed, 

 but no more nests were discovered. Rejoining our friends, we 

 returned to Essex Farm, where hostess Sayce had tea ready, and 

 having partaken of this with relish, we commenced an enjoyable 

 tramp of three or four miles, which brought our first really 

 successful day to a close. 



Tuesday, 15th, was spent in again working Dennis's and Gonn 

 swamps. This second attempt was as unsuccessful as the first, 

 very few wild fowl being met with. Two years before these 

 swamps were literally teeming with feathered life, whilst to-day we 

 could count them only too well. We, certainly, deserved better 

 luck, for we had to pole our boat with great difficulty through the 

 water weeds, which were very abundant here and were a great 

 drag. Frantic were our efforts to get along, and as the wind 

 went down and the sun shone out hot and fierce, we enjoyed 

 ourselves immensely, frequently stopping to admire the beautiful 

 little yellow flower of the Water Lily, Limnanthemum crenatum, 

 which, growing in great abundance, gives a rich, beautiful golden 

 appearance to the surface of the swamp. We gradually, however, 

 got into clearer water and drew on towards the Ibis rookery, where 

 we plainly heard the croak of the birds who were now busy nesting 

 and seemed to pay little attention to our approach. It was our 

 purpose, if possible, to take a photograph of their flight some 

 time during the afternoon, but on witnessing their contemptuous 

 treatment of us we decided upon operating at once, and in spite 

 of the fact that the Pride of the Murray, influenced by the wind, 

 would persist in going to port, our artist on their rising in response 

 to our by no means musical yells, successfully took a snap-shot. 

 We then entered the rushes and soon found the rookery and 

 photographed one of the nests. A couple of bitterns were also 

 flushed here, and after a little search we found a nest 

 containing five beautiful eggs, this being the second nest of 

 five found on the trip, although authorities speak of clutches 

 of four only. Since our return Mr. Morton has taken 

 three more eggs from this same nest. The nest of this 

 bird is very symmetrical, and is fairly well protected from 

 observation ; short pieces of rushes are laid across and across, 

 being slightly interlaced and concaved. The bed of the nest is 

 about 12 inches above the surface of the water, width about 14 

 or 15 inches, while the points of the reeds, Typha angustifolia 

 in one place and Arundo phragmitis in another, meet above, 

 forming a dome-like canopy, and giving the nest a snug and 

 comfortable appearance. We now proceeded to wade into Gonn 

 Swamp, but with no other result than that of cooling our ardour. 

 After this we took boat and slowly drifted down the Murray, 



