tiiE Victorian naTuralisI'. 



alone, either of ihe Straw-necked or White, but it does not often 

 occur. 



We were able to visit a lake not far from this locality, and were 

 fortunate in finding several waterfowl nesting. The lake itself 

 was well fringed with red gum trees, and in the shallower water 

 near the edge various water weeds grew in profusion, as well as 

 patches of bulrushes, and these rushes in many places also lined 

 the banks. We found many nests of the Tippet Grebe, Fodicipes 

 crisiahts, and it gave us great pleasure watching these birds as 

 they disported themselves on the clear water or hunted for their 

 insect food among the weeds. Their floating nests were of con- 

 siderable size, about 9 inches in diameter on the surface and 

 7 inches in depth, and were composed entirely of green water 

 weeds, and floated low in the water. They were generally 

 situated among tiie bulrushes, probably to escape observation. 

 The eggs were very little above the level of the water, and, of 

 course, were always wet. The birds almost invariably covered 

 up the eggs with the weed before leaving, but if disturbed 

 suddenly when sitting they have not time, so leave them un- 

 covered, but that seldom occurred. They also leave their eggs 

 for a considerable time during the heat of the day, often for 

 hours, letting the sun keep the eggs warm for them, and also the 

 internal heat of the mass of weeds that compose the structure 

 helps considerably in the incubation, and the eggs being covered 

 up both keeps the bottom heat in and prevents the sun from 

 scorching the eggs. Some of the water weeds growing in these 

 swam])S seem to have the property of discolouring and staining. 

 For instance, when wading about among them wliere they grew 

 thickly our toe nails were all stained a deep bluish-black, and it 

 was with considerable difticulty that it could be erased. The 

 eggs of the Grebe also apparently get stained in the same way. 

 They are white when first laid, but in a day or two get a dirty- 

 looking brown. Some weeds stain much darker than others, 

 consequently in some cases the eggs will be irregularly stained 

 light brown and in other cases very dark. Three eggs in the 

 ordinary clutch, although four, and occasionally five, are met with. 

 The little ones leave the nest as soon as hatched, but often seem 

 to rest on it during the night, treading it quite flat, and also 

 drawing the weeds of which the nest is comjiosed well out into 

 the water on one side, which forms a kind of platform, and the 

 birds evidently get on and leave the nest on that side. 



Several nests of the Australian Goot, Fulica australis, were 

 found. Some were partly floating and partly resting on the bul- 

 rushes among which they were built ; others again were situated at 

 water level among the branches of fallen timber or by the stump 

 or root of a tree. Those built among the bulrushes in the 

 deeper water were mostly composed of that material, with a few 



