THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



White Egrets were not plentiful, as over one hundred of these 

 birds had been shot at this breeding-ground some years pre- 

 viously. They built bulky stick nests lined with leaves high up in 

 the eucalyptus trees, but in thicker branches than the Nankeen 

 Herons. All the nests had well advanced young in, and it was a 

 beautiful sight to see these stately birds standing on their nests, 

 with three well-fledged young in, the dark background of 

 eucalyptus foliage making their snowy white plumage stand out 

 with great effect. 



When the parent bird flew on to the nest with food, uttering 

 her discordant note in doing so, the young stretched out their 

 long necks, and, opening their beaks expectantly, vigorously 

 waved their heads from side to side, squeaking to the best of 

 their ability as they did so, and as most of the different young in 

 the rookery were doing the same more or less whenever they saw 

 an adult bird near them, the air was full of their various cries, 

 both from adult and young. Both parent birds feed the young, 

 but not always in turn. The eggs are of a delicate blue colour, 

 four being the full clutch. They vary considerably in size. 

 These birds are unfortunately much sought after for the sake of 

 their plumes, and, as before mentioned, many were cruelly 

 destroyed in this rookery during the nesting season for the sake 

 of the few feathers to be obtained from them, and the young were 

 left to perish, showing what cruelty some men can inflict for the 

 sake of a small monetary gain. These Egrets are the most 

 beautiful and graceful birds of their kind we have in Australia. 

 One nest of the Plumed Egret was observed situated high up on 

 a thin bough, with one of the birds sitting on and the other 

 standing close by. 



Several Yellow-billed Spoonbills had their nests on the out- 

 skirts. They were not much more than a platform of sticks 

 resting on a thick horizontal bough or fork and lined with a few 

 leaves. They also had young, and three is the ordinary 

 clutch, although occasionally four are noticed. Their eggs 

 are pure white. These birds are nowhere very plentiful in 

 southern Australia. Their white plumage makes them very 

 conspicuous. 



Strange to say, a few of the Straw-necked and White Ibis were 

 here. They had probably missed their usual nesting-place, so did 

 so here, and as the lignum and other low bushes they generally 

 build on did not grow here, they built well up in the trees 

 instead, on a thick horizontal bough if possible, and their young 

 evidently have to stay in the nest until they can fly. Ibis 

 always prefer nesting with their own company, but occasionally 

 then single pairs of biids are unable to lind the nesting colony, and 

 perforce have to build elsewhere, in comj)any with other birds if 

 possible, but occasionally a'i)air will be found nesting entirely 



