A^'■DKRSI:N. — New Zealand Binl-Rong. 



659 



A very common bird on the Tasman River bed is the dottrel {Octho- 

 dromus obscuriis — tutnriwatu). Its constant cry, which I did not hear 

 varied in 1909, was a in alt, shirred to a flat : — 



gyvL 



This is an agreeable whistle, repeated at intervals. In 1910 (November) 

 its cry as it ran before me on the river-bed was constantly a repeated at 



intervals 



2^v-<x 



uih twil. 



On the 18th November, whilst riding from the Hermitage, we started a 

 young dottrel from the tussock, and it would persist for a long distance 

 running before the horses, stumbling occasionally, but keeping up an 

 amazing speed for so small and young a bird. Eventually it took to the 

 tussocks again. 



On the 20th November, whilst riding along the river-bed track on the 

 Tasman, three miles from Mount Cook homestead, we started (or should it 

 be " flushed " ?) a dottrel. It arose almost at our feet, and we suspected we 

 had disturbed a hen on her nest ; but, search as we would, we were unable 

 to find it. Next day my companion passed along the same way, and again 

 the bird rose. He waited at some distance, and had the pleasure of seeing 

 her return to her nest. It was immediately beside the track, sheltered by 

 a tussock ; and, whilst artfully concealed, it was a wonder it had never been 

 seen or trodden on, as the track is in almost daily use. The nest contained 

 three dark-brown eggs, blotched with intensely dark brown, almost black, 

 and they lay imbedded, not loose, in the nest. They were about the size 

 of a starling's egg. 



The graceful sea-marten, or sea-swallow (?),[is fairly plentiful on the 

 river-beds, though not so common as the dottrel. It is hailed in the back 

 stations as the harbinger of spring. Its cry is usually a sharp whistle, as 

 in (1) :- 



S^'a. 



gva 



i 





YioraOy. 



I heard the cry No. (2) on the 25th November, 1910, when the bird was 

 flying over the Fork River, on the Mackenzie Plains. It was repeated at 

 intervals as the bird flew by. No. (3) I heard on the 15th November, on 

 the JoUie River. There were four or five swallows wheeling round together, 

 a,nd, all coming close together on one occasion, they wheeled downwards 

 whilst one uttered this quick gurgling cry, running down in chromatic 

 sequence from d to (j. 



