A J. 
Data Campbell's No. of 
No. 
651 
No. in 
Book. 
Eggs. 
~ eggs in the latter position, 
THE JACKSONIAN OOLOGICAL COLLECTION, 
under notice. I was quite surprised to find these beautiful birds breeding so near the township, it 
being the first time I had noticed them in the district. ‘They came in great numbers, and their dog- 
like barking notes could be heard both day and night. ‘The swamps were well filled with water, heavy 
rain having fallen just prior to the birds’ arrival. ‘They were all confined to the eastern end, resorting 
to the shallower areas for nest-building purposes, and we counted upwards of seventy nests in a space 
of about one hundred yards square, succeeding in taking clutches of the rare specimens from over 
thirty of them. The eggs varied very considerably in size, shape, ground colouring, and disposition of 
the markings. Some were quite fresh, while others had incubation about six days old; those in many 
of the nests were broken, owing to cattle walking on them while feeding in the swamp. Nine days 
later (11th September), I found another colony of Stilts breeding on Sportsman Swamp, near South 
Grafton. On this occasion the nests numbered only twenty-five, all of which contained young, excepting 
five with sets of eggs very heavily incubated. On Duck Swamp, in places where the water was over 
fourteen inches deep, the nests appeared to be floating structures, but where the depth was only nine 
or ten inches, they were firmly built up from the bottom. They were very neatly constructed, and 
measured from six to nine inches across, being composed of aquatic weeds, small twigs, grass, etc., 
having the appearance in the water of those of the Black-throated Grebe, only they are much more 
smartly built. The eggs, which were four in number in nearly every instance, were placed in the nests 
with the thin or pointed 
ends turned inwards ; but 
some structures, which were 
not built up sufficiently 
above the surface of the 
water, were very wet inside, 
and in such cases the thick 
ends were sometimes turned 
innermost. It is rather un- 
usual for birds to place their 
and probably it was done 
on account of the water 
soaking into the centre of 
the nest ; the thicker ends 
of the eggs being in the NEST AND EGGS OF THE WHITE-HEADED STILT. 
(Set data No. 650 came from the nest in the middle.) 
(About one-sixteenth of the natural size.) 
Loc., Duck Swamp, South Grafton, Clarence River, N.S.W. 
water,would, of course, natu- 
rally retain more warmth, 
and be thus better able to 
withstand the action of the water, than when placed with the pointed ends inwards. The majority of 
the nests were situated from ten to fifteen feet apart, while here and there we would drop across a few 
close together. In the accompanying photograph showing these structures, the one on the right and 
left sides has been moved up close to the central one (Data No. 650), in order to make a group picture. 
The ordinary notes of these birds form a peculiar puppy dog-like bark, and, on being robbed of their 
eggs, they kept jumping straight up off the ground, and also out of the water, to a height of about two 
feet, all the time making a croaking noise, and flapping their wings. It was a beautiful sight to see 
these lovely creatures, with their white plumage and very long pink legs reflected in the clear water, 
hopping about ; also, off and on standing upon their nests. Unfortunately I was unable to get a snap- 
shot photograph of them in these positions, as the camera which I was using at the time was fitted only 
for time exposure. Specimen A. measures = 1°82 x 1°23. 
(Variety B.).—Set of 4 eggs, short and rather rounded specimens, which are quite different to the 
latter clutch. The ground colour is of a deep yellowish stone, or dark sienna, covered with dark and 
149 
