Aujjust, 1908] THE VICTORIAN NATUKALISt. 63 



without any lengthy interval. Investigation proved the notes to 

 have been made by the little Grass-Warbler, Cisficola exilis. 



We had previously heard the booming of a Bittern in the 

 neighbourhood, and we naturally expected to find some of their 

 nests, but were unsuccessful. The Bittern was considered a bird 

 of ill omen by the ancients, and it was formerly believed that the 

 booming sound was made by the bird with its bill inserted in the 

 soft mud, but investigation has shown that the sound is produced 

 by the bird equally well either when in flight or on land. 

 The legs of this bird are of a pale green colour, and the claws 

 long and slender. The middle claw is serrated, or toothed like a 

 saw, for the purpose of better holding its slippery prey, such as 

 small fish, frogs, and lizards, and also to enable it to stand on the 

 slippery rushes, which as the bird alights on them bend in a 

 half-circle downwards, and were it not for the jagged toe-nails it 

 would slide down the deflected stems. Here again is an example 

 of the adaptation of a bird, or its parts, to its environment. 



Next day we made another attempt to find a nest of the 

 Bittern. On our way the nest of a Black Swan, Chenopis atrata, 

 was discovered, built of cats'-tails and rushes interwoven with 

 the broken down tops of adjacent rushes. In this way the 

 nest was able to accommodate itself to the rise and fall of 

 the water of the swamp, and thus the eggs are saved from 

 destruction. The nest contained seven eggs, and it was rather 

 late in the season to m.ake such a find, for several broods of large 

 cygnets had already been seen. These beautiful birds, as well 

 as many other denizens of the swamps, are in danger of 

 extinction in this locality, as, owing to the stoppage by the New 

 South Wales Government of the monetary grant for provisioning 

 the aboriginals of the district, they have been obliged to work 

 for their living or else hunt. Naturally they choose the latter, 

 and raid the swamps for eggs, consequently the water-fowl have 

 a serious enemy to contend with. 



Paddling down Warrick Creek, a White-fronted Heron, ]}^oto- 

 phoyx novce-liollandice, is observed sitting on her nest at the end 

 of a limb some seventy feet above the water, and though in 

 a somewhat awkward position we managed after an hour's 

 exertion to reach it by means of the rope ladder, when five blue- 

 tinted eggs rewarded our gaze. At length we came across a 

 Bittern's nest, containing but one egg. The nest was composed 

 of green rushes, and harmonized wonderfully with the solitary 

 egg, rendering it almost indistinguishable in the subdued light. 

 Swans with their broods of grey downy cygnets were here also, 

 and paddled valiantly through the swamp-weeds out of our way. 

 I have frequently remarked the calming effect of the natural oil 

 deposited from the breast feathers of this bird on the ruffled 

 waters of some estuary or lake, the water to the leeward of a 

 flock being quite smooth, whilst all around were curling waves. 



