236 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



mark. The breeding-season comprises September and the 

 three or fom' following months. * 



The stomach is very muscular, and the food consists of 

 small mollusca of various kinds. 



Like the TringcB, this bird resorts to every possible device 

 in order to lure an intruder from its nest : throwing itself 

 down upon its chest and flapping its wings as if in the agonies 

 of death, it will so continue until he has approached almost 

 near enough to place his hand upon it, when it moves along 

 for several yards, dragging one of its legs behind, and if still 

 followed up attempts to fly, and so well imitates the motion of 

 a bird wounded in the wing, that the intruder is easily misled, 

 and the eggs remain undiscovered. 



The eggs, which are an inch and a quarter in length by 

 seven-eighths of an inch in breadth, are of a pale stone-colour, 

 sprinkled all over with small irregular blotches of brownish 

 black. 



The male has the forehead crossed by a broad band of 

 white, which gradually diminishes to a point at the posterior 

 angle of the eye ; above this is another band of black, which 

 also diminishes to a point at the same place ; from the 

 angle of the mouth to the eye is a line of black, which is con- 

 tinued from the posterior angle of the eye down the sides of 

 the neck ; crown of the head, nape, and back of the neck 

 rich rusty red ; all the upper surface and wings pale brown, 

 each feather margined with a still lighter tint; primaries 

 blackish brown ; the shafts and extreme edge of the inner 

 webs white ; four central tail-feathers dark brown, the re- 

 mainder white ; all the under surface white ; irides very dark 

 brown ; bill dark reddish brown ; naked part of the legs 

 above the tarsi dark greenish grey ; tarsi light grey ; feet 

 blackish brown. 



In the female the distribution of colour is precisely the 

 same, but the hues are all much paler, and the marks about 

 the face are light brown instead of black, -' 



