Vol. XIII, 



I9I3 



] Chandler, Bird-Life of Koiv Plains: 4c 



the earth from this place to build the nest. As there was no water 

 in the vicinity, they must have moistened the earth with saliva. 



On 13th October we broke camp at the bore, and made a 

 temporary camp at Kow Plains. We left for Melbourne three 

 days later. Our thanks are due to the residents of the district 

 for the kindly manner in which they assisted us in our work. I 

 must also thank Mr. K. J. Campbell for his help in naming a few 

 of the birds with which I was not familiar. All the birds, eggs, 

 and nests collected during the trip are in the collection of Mr. 

 Henry L. White, Belltrees, New South Wales. 



Field Notes on Some Rallinae, 



By (Miss) J. A. Fletcher, R.A.O.U., Springfield (Tasmania), 



An ornithologist passing through this district and viewing it 

 superficially would probably consider it an unprofitable field for 

 investigation. My closer association, however, shows it to be 

 otherwise, its varied bird-life being intensely interesting, but in 

 this paper I shall confine myself to a few remarks upon the Lewin 

 or Slate-breasted Rail and Crakes. 



The swampy growth of some of the marshy depressions appears 

 to be a stronghold of these birds, and I have identified the 

 following : — Slate-breasted Rail [HypotcBnidia brachyptis), Spotted 

 Crake {Porzana fluminea), Little Crake {P. palustris), and Spotless 

 Crake (P. immaciilata). Of the first-named my sister and I found 

 many nests, but all nests found of the others were either after- 

 wards deserted by their owners or perhaps robbed by snakes, 

 which haunt these swamps, and add somewhat to the excitement 

 of field-work. 



Whilst searching through one of these places, towards the end of 

 October, I came upon a small saucer-shaped nest in the centre of a 

 reed-clump. The nest was composed of tiny pieces of reeds bitten 

 into lengths. It was old, and traces of water-rats were in it. The 

 same day I also discovered two nests under drooping clumps of 

 grass. They resembled miniature Native-Hen (Tribonyx) nests. 

 Footprints of birds were visible in the mud, and also tracks or runs 

 through the reeds and cresses. No birds were seen, and subsequent 

 visits showed the nests untouched. On the afternoon of 4th 

 November my sister and I were sitting on the bank watching the 

 swampy creek, which lay some 5 feet below us. A Crake call 

 rung out, and presently a pair of birds was seen quietly feeding on 

 the cresses. I turned the glasses on them, and saw that they were 

 the Spotless Crake, their bright red eyes glancing to and fro. 

 Soon afterwards we heard a " purring " sound, and noticed another 

 bird close under the bank with a black chick following her. We 

 saw her pull a grub from the bank and give it to the little one. 

 After a while another chick came into view. The little ones were 



