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IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS 



the afternoon appeared suddenly, a cluster of black 

 specks at first, as if created by magic of the burnished 

 sky. When close to the islet the great birds, high 

 in air, performed graceful manoeuvres on apparently 

 motionless wings. They soared for an hour or 

 longer, before sweeping down to the She-oaks. 



WHITE -CAPPED NODDY ON NEST. 



White-capped Noddies, whose nests were built on 

 branches of the Pisonia trees, began to lay a few days 

 before our departure from Mast Head. The nests, 

 composed of layers of Pisonia leaves, pressed to- 

 gether when damp, were flimsy structures, measuring 

 from six to nine inches across the top. One egg 

 formed the clutch. The variation in markings was 

 so great that no two eggs of the hundreds examined 

 were exactly alike ; the colours of spots and blotches 

 ranged from delicate lilac to rich carmine, on a 



