No. in THE JACKSONIAN OOLOGICAL COLLECTION. 
A J. 
Data Campbell’s No. of 
No. Book. Eggs. 
x 1°63. The late John Gould states “that this fine species is tolerably common on the eastern and 
northern coasts of Queensland ; and although a rare visitant there, it had been found within the colony 
of New South Wales.” All his specimens were procured at Moreton Bay, and he had seen others which 
were collected near Port Essington, North Australia. The bird usually confines itself to swamps and 
marshy inlets near the sea, but sometimes it is founda considerable distance inland on the banks 
of rivers and lakes. From specimens which I dissected I found that their food consists chiefly of 
aquatic insects, very young fish, worms, grass, and small fresh water shell fish, such as young mussels, 
Unio australis, Unio depressus, and also smaller species, comprising JZelania Balonnensis, Corbicula sub- 
lavigata, Physa producta, Limnea lessoni, Modiolayca subtorta, Planorbis fragilis, Segmentina australiensis, 
AHydrobia Brazieri, etc., all of which I have collected alive in the fresh water creeks and swamps of the 
Clarence River district, forming food not only for Spoonbills, but numerous other waterfowl. In the 
afore-mentioned swamps I noticed small glossy beetles of the Chrysomelide family very abundantly 
distributed on the 
rushes, and found 
that they formed 
a good food supply 
for this and many 
other of the swamp 
birds. The plum- 
age of this Spoon- 
bill is white, while 
its bill, face, legs 
and feet are black. 
On the crown of 
the head, and over 
each eye, is a 
triangular mark of 
orange; the eyes 
being red. Itstotal 
length is about 29 
inches; and the 
large peculiar 
spoon-like bill, 
which is 8} inches 
inlength, is beauti- 
fully adapted for 
the collection of 
its food. Its habits 
are very similar to 
those of the Yellow- 
legged Spoonbill, 
with the exception that it lays its eggs on the rushes in the swamps, and not ina nest composed of 
sticks placed in a tree, as is the case with the latter species. 
ABORIGINES OF THE CLARENCE RIVER DISTRICT OF NEW SOUTH WALES. 
Nymboi Jack, whose name frequently appears in these pages, will be seen in the centre, 
with his vine and tomahawk, ready to do some tree climbing. 
668 698 WHITE IBIS, 
Ibis molucca, Cuvier. 
Set of 3 eggs, which were taken on a swamp at Lavadia, near South Grafton, Clarence River, 
N.S.W., on 4th November, 1904, by A. Amos and myself. We found these birds breeding in company 
with the Black-billed Spoonbill, and took fifteen clutches of their eggs. They are a pure white, in some 
instances nest stained, and like those of the preceding species, they are finely pitted all over. I also 
157 
