The Sheep'Fhike. 31 



"Its natural note is a peculiarly shrill wtining whistle often repeated. 



" The nest may be regarded as one of the anomalies of Australia, so unlike 

 is it to anything usually met with ; it is from 5 to 6 inches in breadth, and 

 3 inches in depth, and is formed of mud, which, soon becoming hard and 

 solid upon exposure to the atmosphere, has precisely the appearance of a 

 massive clay-coloured earthenware vessel. As if to attract notice, this 

 singular structure is generally placed on some bare horizontal branch, often 

 on the one most exposed to view, sometimes overhanging water, and at others 

 in the open forest. The colour of the nest varies with that of the material 

 of which it is formed. Sometimes the clay or mud is sufficiently tenacious 

 to be used without any other material, but in those situations where no mud 

 or clay is to be obtained, it is constructed of black or brown mould ; the 

 bird appearing to be aware that the substance will not hold together for 

 want of the adhesive quality of the clay, mixes with it a great quantity of 

 dried grass, stalks, &c., and thus forms a firm and hard exterior, the inside 

 of which is slightly lined with dried grasses and a few feathers. The eggs 

 differ considerably in colour and in shape, some being extremely lengthened, 

 while others bear a relative proportion. The ground colour of some is a 

 beautiful pearl white, of others, a slight tinge of buff ; their markings again 

 diff'er considerably in form and in their disposition, being in some instances 

 wholly confined to the larger end, in others distributed over the whole of the 

 surface, but always inclined to form a zone at the larger end. In some, 

 these markings are of a deep chestnut red, in others, light red with large 

 clouded spots of grey appearing as if beneath the surface of the shell. The 

 eggs are generally four, but sometimes only two in number ; their mediiim 

 length is 1 inch and three lines, and their breadth nine lines. It breeds in 

 October and November. 



" Although the sexes are very similar in size, the female may at all times be 

 distinguished from the male by her white forehead and throat, a fact I 

 determined many times by actual dissection, thus showing the fallacy of the 

 opinion entertained by some naturalists of their being two distinct species. 



" The male has a line over the eye, a patch on each side of the neck, a 

 longitudinal stripe on the wing, tips of the secondaries, rump, upper tail- 

 coverts, the basal two-thirds, and the tips of the tail, under surface of the 

 shoulder, breast, flanks, abdomen, and under tail-coverts, white ; the re- 

 mainder of the plumage black, with a deep bluish tinge on the head, throat, 

 chest, and back, and a green tinge in the primaries and tail ; bill, yellowish 

 white ; irides, straw yellow ; feet, black. 



" The female differs in having the forehead, lores, and chin white. Ilie 

 young in leaving the nest have the irides black ; in other respects they 

 resemble their parents ; but are, of course, far less brilliant in colour." 



ARDE/E NOV.^J-HOLLANDI^ [Lath.), "White-fronted Heron." 



Ardea— Novae-Hollandife, Lath., Iml. Orn., vol. ii, p. 701. — Steph. Cont. of Shaw's Gen, 



Zool., vol. xi, p. 561. 

 White-fronted Heron, Lath., Gen. Syn., Supp., vol. ii, p. 304 — Phill. Bot. Bay, pi. in 



p. 163. Penn. Outlin., vol. iv, p. 128.— Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. ix, p. 127. 

 Ardea Leueops, Wagl. Syst. Av. , Ardea, sp. 1 7. 



Herodias — NoVc-e-HoUandia", List of Birds in Brit. Mus., Mus. Coll., part iii. p. 80. 

 Wy-an — Aliorigines of the lowland districts of Western Australia. 

 Blue Crane of the Colonists. 



" The white-fronted heron is abundantly dispersed over every part of Van 

 Diemen's Lanrl, the Colonies of New South Wales, South Australia, and 

 Swan River ; but 1 have never seen it from the north coast, and consequently 

 infer that it is not found there. Low sandy beaches washed by the open 

 ocean, arms of the sea, and the sides of rivers and lagoons, both in the interior 



