I04 IS-GG^, Birds Observed at the Great Lake. rsth'jan 



istic features of the coast line being a series of peninsulas, locally 

 called " necks," which run east and west from both shores and 

 thus divide the lake into three main portions, which are called 

 by the shepherds and police in the district North Lake and 

 South Lake as regards those points of the compass, while the 

 middle division was named East Bay for definition purposes in 

 my paper on the " Physiography of the Great Lake " read at 

 the Science Congress at Dunedin last January. 



The entire lake is remarkably shallow, and its floor extra- 

 ordinarily level, the variation in the depth of the water, after 

 the downward slope from the shore is passed, being not more 

 than I to 2 feet in several miles, and in some localities only 6 

 inches to a foot in a mile. In many parts this level floor is 

 covered with a remarkable weed of an erect, spinous, and bunchy 

 character, which is torn up by the violent undertow of the waves 

 in a gale of wind in such quantities that the rock-terraced shores 

 are covered with it as marine coasts are with seaweed. How 

 favourable to the habits of diving birds such conditions, when 

 spreading over many thousands of acres of water, are can well 

 be imagined. 



The following enumeration deals chiefly with shore and water 

 birds, as most of the time available for observation was passed 

 on the lake during the course of sounding operations taken last 

 year : — 



POKPHYRIO MELANONOTUS. Blue Coot. 



One example of this species was seen on Lake Elizabeth, which no 

 doubt indicated the existence in concealment of not a few of its com- 

 panions. This Coot probably frequents the Shannon Lagoon, near the 

 outlet from the lake of the river of that name. 



Chakadrius DOMINICUS. Lesser Golden Plover. 



This species frequents the so-called Great Lake Plain, which is a rolling 

 down more than a plain, and comprises a good many thousand acres of 

 grass and low bush land, much of which is stony and affords a favourable 

 haunt for this Asiatic visitor. Only a few birds were met with in March, 

 1902, during a two days' " reconnoitring " trip made to the lake by my 

 son and myself. The Golden Plover is found more numerously on the 

 open grassy country in the Midlands than elsewhere, and is nowhere 

 a common bird in the island. 



OCHTHODROMUS BICINCTUS. Double-banded Dottrel. 



A flock of these birds were met with on the Great Lake Plain in March, 

 1902. They were in the immature stage, and much shier than usual. 

 It was a surprise to find them at such an elevation. 



Gallinago AUSTRALIS. Snipe. 



One exainple of our Snipe was seen in Swan Bay, at the south of the 

 lake, under singular conditions. It was feeding among the drift " lake 

 weed " on the stony shore, and when roused by the approach of our boat 

 flew a distance of about 150 yards and again settled on the weed like any 

 ordinary Limicoline species. The Snipe is very abvmdant further east- 

 ward, among the lesser lakes, particularly round Lake Sorell and Woods 



