28 



its habits beiug strictly wandering. It has no regular feeding 

 ground or drinking place ; its tracks are eTerywhere, and it is for 

 ever on the movė. 



Of Waders I have a considerable number, but am unable to deter- 

 mine many of the species, as I am entirely vdthout books of refer- 

 ence. I have found the beautiful Lobivanellus lobatus commou 

 during March and April on the sand-banks of the fresh water ; it 

 Tras usually associated with a small white Himantopus, with black 

 wings and head. A long and poiuted winged bird resembhng Gla- 

 reola is also freųuent ; it feeds on the wing, on grasshoppers, &c. 

 about the Polygonum and other bushes fringing the banks. 



I have seen Falcinellus, but could not get it. I have also one 

 white Platalea, the Jabiru or Mycteria, and two or three Herons. 

 The Night Heron, Nycticorax, is common, frequenting the dense 

 mangroves, where it remains during the day, but flies at the mest 

 distant noise. I have also a single speciraen of Tribonyx &nd Fulica. 



I have not had much opportimity of procuring Natatores. The 

 ^^histling Duok is very common, and was freąuently shot on lagoons 

 in the interior, but is very wary on the river. Large V-shaped 

 flights of them passed over our camp during INIarch from S.E. to 

 N.W., in which direction they appear to have a favourite resort. I 

 have also another Duck, similar to it, but smaller, vrith a soft dull- 

 brown plumage. 



I have seen Nettapua pulchellus, but could not get it. Indeed 

 my opportunities of examining the river have been so much more 

 limited than those Captain Stokes enjoyed, that many of his birds I 

 have not even seen. And ovving to our small number I have gene- 

 rally on these excursions been obhged to take an oar myself, and 

 could not therefore keep a very bright look-out. 



The Plotus is common here, and exceUent eating. During Fe- 

 bruary aud March it was incubatiug. It chooses large trees that 

 hang over the water above or through the mangroves, and in these 

 a number of them build a colony of large coarse flattish nests of 

 dead sticks and twigs, which appear, from the quantity of dirt about 

 them and their stained appearance, to be used year after year. Each 

 season they place in the centre a few fresh green leaves, and on these 

 lay three or four white eggs, with a very earthy opaque, but brittle 

 shell ; the lining membrane is of a blue-grey colour ; they are rather 

 smaller and more elongated than a hen's egg. "We have enjoyed 

 many fine meals of these eggs, sometimes getting from forty to fifty 

 UI a single tree. Both birds sit. The malė is of a glossy greenish- 

 black, with a little browuish-grey on the wings and wing-coverts. 

 The female has a white under surface, but is otherwise similar. 



The Pelican is white, vvith black vvings, and a very fine blue and 

 purple margiu round the pouch. It is, I presume, Pelecanus con- 

 spiciUatus. Its breeding season is March and April. 



I have thus endeavoured to give you a rough abstract of my col- 

 lections hitherto ; I am now about to begin work really, as I start 

 with the party in a fe\v days for the Albert River, nnd from thence. 



