THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 19 



through the Gippsland Lakes a pair of Black Swans were noticed 

 with their five little ones — a full clutch. Some of the adult birds 

 were moulting, and were unable to fly. At Cunninghame I 

 noticed a gull feeding on the shore, hopping along on one leg, 

 whether the other was lost or tucked up I cannot say, probably the 

 latter. The Silver Gulls, when hovering close over the water, bend 

 down their outspread tails and also their heads, giving then a curved 

 appearance. On the banks of the Snowy River a flock of sixty 

 Spurwing Plovers were seen feeding together on some cultivated 

 ground. A domestic cat was also disturbed capturing a Landrail 

 (B. phillipensis). The bird was on its back, kicking and pecking 

 vigorously and crying out loudly at its enemy, which seemed 

 to be trying to get hold of it. On the cat leaving it at my 

 approach the bird still remained on its back until it noticed me 

 alongside, when it jumped up and ran off. An Australian 

 Cormorant was seen resting on the middle of the road, a long 

 way from water ; I rode at it with the expectation of its flying 

 away, but it didn't, consequently I rode over it, and then coming 

 back killed it, and found it a very old and exceedingly thin speci- 

 men. 



Near the Little River a beautiful White Hawk flew past. New 

 Holland Honey-eaters were numerous in the various belts of 

 scrub passed through, and several of their young seen, and also 

 two clutches of black downy little Coachwhip Birds, hopping 

 about in the thick scrub, attended by their anxious parents. Some 

 young birds seem to leave the nest much sooner than others, as 

 neither clutches of the young Coachwhip Birds could fly, and one 

 pair of young New Holland Honey-eaters could only just manage 

 it. Near the Bemm River a Flame-breasted Robin was busy 

 building its nest on the top of a high stump, and another nest 

 was found with young in. White-eyebrowed Wood Swallows 

 were plentiful, but only one nest with young found. Bell Birds 

 were numerous in places, and one nest found ready for eggs high up 

 in a gum sapling. Black Duck and Wood Duck (Maned Geese) 

 were noticed in some waterholes near the Cann River ; the latter 

 bird is seldom seen in this part of Gippsland. In the scrub on 

 the banks of the Tonghi River the nest of the Little Brown 

 Sericornis was found, with one fresh Sericornis egg in and one 

 Fantail Cuckoo's. These Cuckoos seemed to be numerous, and 

 their call often heard. The shrill noise made by the cicadse was 

 almost deafening. I noticed four kinds — two of the large 

 greenish variety, a smaller brown one, and one small black one. 

 Then, again, in some of the swampy ground passed by numerous 

 frogs added their quota to the din : when one frog starts all the 

 others seem to join in. 



When walking up a steep hill near Cockatoo Creek I was 

 startled by seeing a Brown Snake coming rapidly down the hill; it 



