THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 127 



Some splendid specimens of the redgum tree grew in this 

 neighbourhood (26), and the picture shows one with the nest of 

 an Eagle (Aquila audaxj situated high up on the fork of a 

 branch. It was the smallest eagle's nest I had seen. Near the 

 foot of the tree three blacks were standing, and leaning against 

 the trunk on the left hand side was a sapling, on which the 

 natives placed their snares for opossums, as these animals will 

 always ascend a tree on a leaning branch in preference to going 

 up the straight trunk of the tree. 



In a young olive tree (27) near the church, a pair of White- 

 fronted Ephthianuras (E. albifrons) had built their cosy nest, 

 which when found contained three fresh eggs. These birds were 

 fairly numerous about here. I also found one of their nests on 

 the road between Dimboola and Ebenezer ; it was built in a thick 

 bunch of hanging creeper. The nest shown here was only three 

 feet from the ground. 



A pair of Fuscous Honey-eaters (Ptilotis fusca) also had 

 their nest not far from the house, in a thick Pittosporum bush (28) ; 

 it contained two eggs. Tlie birds were rather shy, and kept out 

 of sight as much as possible. Their nest was not nearly such a 

 neat structure as so many of the Honey-eaters' are ; the lining was 

 principally feathers. 



We often heard the Wattled Plovers ( Lohivanellus lobatus) on 

 some swampy land not far from the river, and succeeded in 

 finding a nest (29) — if nest it can be called, as it was a very 

 slight hollow lined with a few bits of dried grass. It was 

 interesting to watch the manoeuvres of the bird, when we came 

 near her nest, in her endeavours to draw us away. The nest was 

 situated on a small elevation surrounded by shallow water. The 

 bird, on seeing anyone approaching, leaves the nest, and quietly 

 going to a distance of about one hundred yards, flies up, uttering 

 loud cries, as if to make believe that the nest was there. The 

 young of these birds are exceedingly hard to find, as when dis- 

 turbed they remain perfectly still, and are so like the colour of 

 their surroundings that one passes by them without their being 

 detected. Mr. H. Law has observed that when this bird is 

 •disturbed when sitting, by sheep or other animals, it does 

 not leave the nest, but energetically flaps its wings, so as to 

 prevent its being trodden on by the animal. 



There was another small bark canoe (30), which the blacks 

 used for crossing the river, near the homestead. During my visit 

 they had a football match with a neighbouring club, and about a 

 dozen of their opponents were ferried over the river in this 

 canoe, one at a time, and I noticed that the passengers got out 

 much more quickly than they got in, and none stood up in the 

 ■canoe, as the blacks are seen to be doing in the picture. 



The cooing of the little Peaceful Dove (Geopelia tranquilla) 



