62 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXV. 



Next morning we decided to revisit the Redbank Swamp, and 

 as we drop down the stream several Blue Wrens, Malurus cyaneiis^ 

 are observed in the reeds fringing the creek, their dome-shaped 

 nests being suspended in some Scotch thistles close by. Doubt- 

 lesss the Wrens had learned the value of the sharp prickles 

 as a protection to their belongings. Further on a Chough, 

 Corcorax melanorhamphus, was flushed from its large bowl- 

 shaped mud nest, situated at the end of a tall swaying sapling, 

 about fifty feet above the ground, and, on investigating its 

 contents with the aid of a rope ladder, we found a clutch of five 

 typical eggs. 



We now pushed on to reach a sand ridge we knew of, where 

 we hoped to find the nests of the Bee-eater, Merops ornatus. A 

 short search revealed some of their burrows, but only one con- 

 tained a single egg, so we decided to revisit the locality later on. 

 Many Rose-breasted Cockatoos, Gacatua roseicapilla, commonly 

 known as " Galahs," were seen feeding amongst the grass on the 

 ridge. 



Returning to the swamp, we paddle across the roadway, which 

 on a previous visit we had driven along, now several feet under 

 water. In a distant corner we find a large patch of reeds and 

 rushes which had been taken possession of by a colony of White 

 Ibis, Ibis Molucca, for nesting purposes. Nests were everywhere 

 along the edge, and while three is the usual clutch for this bird, 

 clutches of five and six were by no means uncommon, showing 

 that a prolific season was being experienced. Several birds were 

 still busy building, being noticed carrying sticks and eucalyptus 

 leaves in their bills. No doubt the eucalyptus leaves tend to 

 keep insect-life away from the young birds, otherwise softer 

 material would be chosen for nest-building. 



A Reed-Warbler sang gaily to its mate, and its notes were 

 welcome music to the tired-out ornithologists. The antithesis of 

 a good thing is usually close at hand, so here was a Grass-bird, 

 Megalurus gramifieus, in the same patch of reeds, uttering its 

 mournful note. What freak of evolution could cause a bird 

 somewhat similar in size, colour, and nesting habits to the Reed- 

 Warbler to produce notes with such a contrast. 



Forcing our way through the tangled growth of water-weeds, 

 we disturbed several Bald-Coots, Porphyy^io melanotus, which, 

 after uttering a shrill fright-note, go fluttering away with their 

 long red legs dangling down in a broken fashion for some 

 distance before they tuck them up under their blue feathers. As 

 evening approached we turned homewards, when presently an 

 unfamiliar bird note arose from a clump of tall grass growing in 

 the swamp. It sounded like a cry of anguish uttered by a frog 

 when caught by a snake, then the note suddenly changed to a 

 sharp, not unpleasant chirp, and these two notes were continued 



