THE CEAKE. 171 



congregate in the autumn in focks, often on the sea- 

 beach, and on the sandy shores of those lagoons that lay- 

 near the sea. 



I now and then killed a large grey sandpiper, by itself, 

 on the coast, nearly as large as the^ dotterel ; I never 

 saw them in flocks, and with us they were wild and shy, 

 and always singly on the beach. 



A small species of plover frequented the sandy margins 

 of certain lagoons, and although I generally found single 

 birds, I have met with them in small flocks. "We called 

 it the bull-eyed plover; it was a true plover, rather 

 larger than the ring dotterel, which it resembled in call- 

 notes and habits, and had a red arc round the eye. 



I did not consider this district nearly so rich in num- 

 bers or varieties of the smaller waders as the wild marshy 

 nature of the country would lead us to expect ; nor were 

 the coasts at all rich in sea-fowl ; it is true I paid but 

 little attention to the smaller water-birds, for when 

 beating the swamps or up and down the sea-coast I was 

 after larger game ; but I generally noted every bird that 

 I saw, and certainly here I met with much fewer birds 

 than I used to fall in with when coast-shooting in Eng- 

 land; doubtless there are many other species which I 

 overlooked, and I should certainly recommend the 

 Australian naturalist to pay attention to this class of 

 birds; for no country in the world is more fitted to 

 their habits, and both the crakes and some others of the 

 smaller species which I killed appeared to be but little 

 known here. 



