VICTORIA 121 



The Red-capped Robin with its brilliant reds 

 and blacks is a bush jewel, building a charming 

 nest in keeping with its personal beauty. 



The Scrub Robin is a brown bird of plain plum- 

 age and with long strong legs developed for the 

 purpose of its ground life. It fills the niche in the 

 dry scrubs of the lower Murray River. 



HABITATS OF DOTTRELS 

 (Plate 2, Fig. 52) 

 Interior. 

 Hinterland. 

 Coastal. 



Our dottrels come of a world wide family, some 

 of which are only visitors from Siberia; others 

 being local and with us at all times. A few of these 

 Siberian species, with great social instinct, come 

 as far south as "a" in map 52, and others to "d." 

 Of the non-migrating species the Red-kneed species 

 stays in b, and the Double-banded in c, d. The 

 Red-capped Dottrel covers all the ground in Aus- 

 tralia, but is not a resident of Siberia as well. 



In April of each year the migrating species leave 

 their winter ground (Victoria) and go north to 

 Corea (Chosan) where they wait for the still more 

 northern snow to melt. While doing so they 

 change their plumage, getting into the marriage 

 suit. I have been very interested in seeing these 

 changing birds on the rice fields of Japan, where 



