Vol. VIII. 



] Stray Feathers. 217 



this season. One morning early this month, while crossing a 

 bare gravelly hill close to the streets of Stawell, my attention 

 was directed to the antics of a little Dottrel, which hobbled 

 along in front, trailing an apparently broken wing. Watching 

 it awhile from a distance, I found it made several runs towards 

 a certain spot and away again. At this spot I discovered its 

 nest, containing two young not long hatched and one egg. The 

 site of this nest was in a most daring position. The hill was 

 one of those shaft-riddled ridges of silurian shale so character- 

 istic of the gold-mining areas of Victoria, being practically in 

 the town and almost bare of vegetable growth of any kind, from 

 the trafficking of boys, dogs, goats, and cows. The spot was 

 not 200 yards from a m.ain thoroughfare, but at least a quarter 

 of a mile from the nearest water, which was a hillside dam. A 

 photograph shows the site of the nest, among hard quartz 

 gravel and shaley rock,, with nestlings and egg resting upon a 

 little platform of smaller particles, mostly ironstone pebbles, 

 apparently carried together by the parent birds, thus raising the 

 nest an inch above the immediate surface of the ground. The 

 nestlings were very quiet, and showed no inclination to run 

 away. The under surface was conspicuously white, but was not 

 seen as they crouched in the nest. The upper surface was a 

 protective grey dappled with black, a white collar on the nape 

 of the neck being distinctly seen in the picture. — A. G. CAMPBELL. 



Pomonal, January, 1909. 



#f * * 



Waterfowl and Weather. — A very interesting example 

 of bad-weather prediction by wildfowl came under my notice 

 while residing at Essendon, Victoria. There is a fine lake in 

 that district which is frequented by Swans and Ducks, and one 

 afternoon a friend and myself were astonished at the eccentric 

 evolutions indulged in by the former. The Black Swans were 

 turning somersaults in the water, lying on their backs with the 

 head, neck, and upper part of body completely immersed, 

 kicking both feet in the air, then righting themselves, only to 

 repeat the performance ; this they kept up for about an hour ; 

 while the Black Duck were chasing each other on the wing 

 round the lake. My friend, who owns land in various parts of 

 Victoria and is naturally a keen observer, remarked to me — 

 " We shall have bad weather before long." Next morning came 

 a fierce wind from the north-west, accompanied by a terrific dust 

 storm, which enveloped the country as in a thick fog, and, 

 penetrating the houses, lay thickly upon furniture, books, and 

 papers. So strong were the squalls that a whole camp was 

 overturned on the shores of Hobson's Bay. Shortly before noon 

 the wind changed to south-west, the air became cool, and the 

 dust settled down ; then rain began, and lasted until early 

 evening. Four days afterwards the Black Swans were again 



