432 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 



IS'est — Merely a little iiolloAV in a mound or elevated portiou of 

 ground. 



Eygs—CA\xtc\\, 3; in shape, pyriform, being considerably pointed 

 at the smaller end ; shell, tliin and of dull surface : ground color, 

 rich deep stone or buff, marked with small roundish blotches of 

 umber or dark- brown, whi( h are distributed chiefly on the larger 

 half of the egg. In one example of the clutch now under notice 

 the markings are inclined to circle round the obtuse end. Dimen- 

 sions in centimetres of a beau itul set from Western Australia 

 are— (1) 3-7o x 2-67 ; (2) 3-78 x J-73 ; (3) 3 82 x 2-7. 



The Australian dottrel's eggs are readily distinguished from the 

 rest of the Charadriidm by their richness of color. 



Observations — It is a noteworthy fact that the immortal Gould 

 in describing as new this interesting bird in 1840 stated that 

 probably many years would elapse before anything was known of 

 the habits and economy of this interior species. Gould's surmises 

 proved correct, for it was net until 1882, or forty-two years after- 

 wards, that its eggs were first discovered in New South Wales by 

 Mr. E. G. Vickery during a surveying trip near Wilcannia, and 

 which were described by Dr. Ramsay, of the Australian Museum. 

 The eggs in my cabinet are from the Murchison district. Western 

 Australia (the latest recorded colony included in the geographical 

 range of this species), and were collected by Mr. U. Cadden in the 

 season 1886. 



Mr. K. H. Bennett in communicating with Mr. North sent the 

 following interesting information, which I here copy: — "April 

 26th, 1889. — Found to-day a nest of Eudromias austro'lis, contain- 

 ing three eggs ; this is unusually early, for hitherto 1 have never 

 known this bircl to breed before September or October. The eggs 

 were placed on a small natural mound of earth some 4in. or Sin. iu 

 diameter and about the same height above the surrounding ground, 

 and completely covered with small sticks some 2in. or Sin. in 

 length. I disturbed the bird from the nest on which she was 

 sitting, and, noticing only the sticks, at first thought that in 

 consequence of the ground all being covered with water, to 

 the depth of 2in. or 3in., the result of recent heavy rains, that 

 the bird in this particular instance had departed from the usual 

 custom and had constructed a kind of nest, and that she had 

 not deposited her eggs; but on closer examination I found the eggs 

 on the bare ground, and that the sticks had been placed carefully 

 over them as a safeguard against the keen-eyed crow, as whenever 

 the old bird should leave her nest without this covering, situated as 

 they were, they would have been very conspicuous, as the little 

 mound in which they were placed was the only dry spot for 50yds. 

 or 60yds. around." 



Mr. Bennett also found another nest of this species with two 

 eggs on the 29th April, covered in a similar curious manner with 

 small sticks, and another on the 3rd May with two eggs. In the 



