THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



snags and uneven slippery ground ; but it soon reached the 

 branches and then climbed to the top of the tree. Several nests 

 of the little Black-throated Grebe, Podiceps Novce-Hollandice, 

 were found floating in the water ; they were made of rushes. 

 When the bird left the nest she always carefully covered the eggs 

 up ; the eggs themselves were just below the level of the water, 

 and consequently always wet. During the heat of the day the 

 surface of the water is warm, and the birds often leave the eggs 

 for a long time without sitting on them ; it is possible, also, that 

 the mass of vegetation of which the nest is composed helps to 

 keep the heat up. The nests were generally found in the deepest 

 parts of the swamp. A good many Black-backed Coots, 

 Porphyria melanotus, were seen ; but we only found one 

 unfinished nest, it being too early for their breeding ; they break 

 down a few rushes and bind them together to stand on. In the 

 gum trees growing at the edge of the swamp several nests of the 

 Little Lorikeet, Trichoglossus pusillus, were found, mostly with 

 four eggs in ; these birds seem to prefer building in trees growing 

 in or near water. In a small tree near the centre of the swamp 

 we found two nesls of the White-breasted Cormorant, Gracalus 

 melanoleucus, one with three fresh eggs in and the other with two ; 

 but these birds seldom breed in this neighbourhood. High up in 

 a big gum tree a pair of Whistling Eagles, Haliastur sphenurus, 

 had built their nest, in which were two fresh eggs. At nearly 

 every swamp near here a pair of these birds had their nests ; they 

 seldom seem to build far from water. Several Pacific Herons, 

 Ardta panfica, were busy building their stick nests, but we were 

 too early for eggs ; they often build on a very thin branch, which 

 makes it difficult to get at them. A pair of Plotus Birds, Plotus 

 Novce-Hollandias, were seen sailing around high overhead, having 

 been disturbed at our approach ; and an old Crow, Corvus 

 coronoides, flew away from the top of a high tree in which was its 

 nest — a very difficult one to get at, as Crows' nests here often are, 

 they generally choosing the highest trees — but Mr. H. Barnard 

 climbed up and found two eggs in it. Just before leaving, a nest 

 of a White-fronted Heron, Ardea Novcv-Hollandice, was found, 

 and in it five hard-set eggs. 



On our way back we found the nest and eggs of the Fuscous 

 Honeyeater, Ptilolis fusca, and the Lanceolate Honeyeater, 

 Plectorhyncha lav ceolata, both suspended at the end of thin 

 branches of small eucalyptus trees. A few blacks had a camp 

 about half a mile from the house, and one evening we heard 

 them wailing very loudly, and found out soon after that one of 

 their number had just died. Every evening, just after sunset, 

 they used also to wail for a short time during the man's illness ; 

 they also do the same when any of their dogs are suffering from 

 bad wounds, &c. The man was buried next day in the bush 



