VICTORIA 133 



The Pacific Heron, better known as the White- 

 necked species, keeps to Australia proper, while the 

 White-fronted Heron, known as the Blue Crane, is 

 found further afield ; New Zealand and the Phillip- 

 ine Islands, map 56. 



The most widely distributed member of the Aus- 

 tralian set is the Reef Heron. It nests also on the 

 islands of Fiji, Japan and many Polynesian points. 



That the bird should have two phases of colour, 

 as with the Gotildian Finch, is very puzzling. The 

 breeding birds may be pure white, or they may be 

 slaty blue making the bird sporadic and dimorphic. 

 They frequent reefs of all sorts, and add to the 

 beauty of lonely scenes. 



Egrets are handsome birds when in full summer 

 plumes. In a colonial nesting bed of red gums, 

 they make a lovely picture. Their rookeries are 

 placed where frogs are counted by the thousand, 

 and where water flowers and tall bull rushes grow. 



Amongst the reeds and tangle the Bitterns boom. 

 The Mangrove Bitterns are mostly northern 

 species, one of the three species being found in the 

 Upper Darling waters and as far south as the big 

 scrubs of the Darling River. The largest and the 

 smallest Bitterns are found all over Australia. 

 Bitterns have procryptic colouration. 



The Nankeen Night-Heron, as its name implies, 

 is nocturnal. In day light it sleeps on the tops of 

 tall trees. When the twilight comes the bird fishes 

 by the water side, keeping eyes specially alert for 



