218 IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS 



away, and did not return until it was removed. Broad- 

 billed Bronze Cuckoos [Chalcococcyx lucidus] were 

 observed flying about the Turnefortia bushes, their 

 metallic green plumage shining in the sun. Alto- 

 gether forty species of birds were identified among 

 the Capricorns, including a number of waders. A 

 Barred-rumped Godwit [Limosa uropygialis] , cap- 

 tured on the beach one evening, was in poor condition ; 

 it had evidently just reached Mast Head after a 

 long migratory flight. Eastern Siberia is the breed- 

 ing place of the species. 



When the Endeavour appeared off Mast Head one 

 afternoon, we went aboard, and a short cruise was 

 planned for the following day. Starting soon after 

 sunrise, we were able to visit two islands, and spend 

 a few hours on each, rambling along the beaches and 

 through the scrub. Erskine Island, the smallest of 

 the Capricorn Group, lying only a few miles from Mast 

 Head, was quickly explored. The sunlit beach was 

 strewn with shells. Many specimens of the Bailer 

 Shell [Melo diadema] were collected, but few were 

 perfect. The nest of a pair of White-bellied Sea 

 Eagles, built on the summit of a large Sophora bush, 

 became the centre of interest, because it was occupied 

 by a fledgling. Before we landed one of the parent 

 birds was at the eyrie, but it flew to the other side of 

 the islet, leaving the eaglet to take care of itself. Climb- 

 ing to the nest, a huge pile of sticks that would have 

 filled a dray, I found the eaglet ready for battle. And 

 when I retired to secure a photograph from the ground, 

 it clambered to the rim of the nest, where it perched 

 in an attitude of defiance. 



On Heron Island, which resembled Mast Head in 

 most respects, we did not observe Sea Eagles, but felt 

 sure that one pair at least was in possession. Black 

 Oyster-Catchers were busy on the beach, and a nest 

 containing a chick and a chipped egg was discovered 

 on the sand under a bush. Reef-Herons were more 





