128 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST, 



lo.* Turnix leucogaster, North, White-bellied Quail. 

 II. Pedionomus torquatics, Gld., Plain Wanderer. 



Of plovers we have two species, and neither numerous : — Stone 

 Plover, Burhinus yrallarius, Latham ; and Spur-winged Plover, 

 Lobivanellus lohatus, Latham. Within whistle-sound of the Box 

 Hill railway station is a deeply placed clay hole, the late property 

 of a brick company. To this pond has a pair of " Spurwings " 

 arrived on each evening for months, taking care to depart by 

 break of day. During the night I have frequently heard the 

 " crackle, crackle." Excepting a pair of the Stone species, I do 

 not know of others breeding here. 



Of RaUidse, three species resort here, but the crakes are 

 rarely seen, because of their very retired dispositions : Spotted 

 Crake, Porzana Jluminea, Gould ; Little Crake, Porzana 

 palustris, Gould ; Pectoral Rail, Hypotcenidia philippinensis, 

 Linnaeus (W). Near Swan Hill, on 2nd October last, I was 

 surprised at what I believe to have been a curious action 

 of this latter species. While walking along the river bank 

 at I p.m., my young companion, Mr. Alex. Algie, found, 

 among the rushes, a nest with nine fresh eggs. Returning 

 at 6 p.m. we found that only one egg remained in the nest, 

 and that a cold one. In this isolated spot, we concluded, 

 because the rushes had been slightly disarranged, the birds had 

 carried away eight of the eggs and left the last on account of our 

 too early return. We left this egg, and decided to thoroughly 

 inquire into the case in the morning. The remaining egg was 

 then as we left it, and a diligent search of all the clump of rushes 

 gave us another nest with eight fresh eggs in a deep and roomy 

 chamber. They were of similar markings, shade of ground colour, 

 and proportions as the single one. This second nest was 200 

 yards approximately from the first, and just on the far side of a 

 narrow but deep inlet of the Murray. If this was the set re- 

 moved by the pair of owners, how did they manage it ? Probably 

 by the bills, as they seldom fly, and are excellent runners. When 

 they had come to the inlet, did they swim across ? They rise 

 from the ground to fly so heavily that the eggs would scarcely get 

 safely over in either bill or claw. 



Nearer home a fruit-grower reported to me a nest of fifteen 

 eggs of this Rail, but I was not able to go and see it. As there 

 was no conflicting evidence I believed it, but the rule is up to 

 ten eggs for a clutch. 



The following birds, at times, stray hom the River Yarra 

 boundary to our little creeks and dams : — Black Duck, Anas 

 superciliosa ; Grey Teal, Nettion gibherifrons ; White-fronted 

 Heron, Ardea novce hollandue ; Night Heron, Nycticorax cale- 



* Recently discovered by the Horn Expedition, and now added to the list. 



