170 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Order VII. — Grallce. 



Family — Ardeidce. Herons. 



Ardea Novce-Hollandice (White-fronted Heron). 



This elegant bird is well known to frequent margins of lakes, 

 swamps, and moist places generally, but is sometimes found far 

 inland and away from water of any kind, although, properly 

 speaking, it is a wading bird, its long legs being specially adapted 

 for this purpose. 



The White-fronted Heron is of a bluish-grey colour, with white 

 breast and throat, the lower portion of the wings being blackish- 

 grey. The neck, when erect, is very long, and which, when 

 alarmed, it stretches out to the utmost. 



A few weeks ago I purchased the specimen exhibited here this 

 evening from Mr. Coles, who, upon examining the contents of the 

 stomach, found therein no less than 57 specimens of the common 

 black field cricket, an insect which of late has been making havoc 

 amongst the orange trees, by ring-barking them near to the surface 

 of the soil, and the specimens of crickets so found are here in 

 spirits for your inspection this evening. 



This bird should, without a doubt, be at once protected, as it 

 is well known as a destroyer of insects and the smaller reptilia, 

 including young snakes. As a bird for the table it is next to use- 

 less, being little else than a bundle of feathers, so that the 

 numerous specimens sometimes to be seen hanging up outside 

 fishmongers' shops must have been either shot by accident whilst 

 duck shooting, or been killed, as our Yankee friends would say, 

 out of " pure cussedness." 



This heron is said by Mr. Campbell to be a most persistent 

 breeder, as many as five clutches of five eggs each having been 

 taken from one nest, and, notwithstanding, the bird succeeded in 

 rearing a brood before the season expired. 



Colour of eggs, which are laid in nests composed of sticks, 

 generally placed in trees, are of a pale bluish-green, and very 

 pretty. 



It is to be hoped that the Zoological Society of Victoria, which 

 all along have done such good work, will again use their influence 

 to have this, as well as other birds yet to be mentioned, per- 

 manently protected from the " pot-shot man " and others. 



Found, according to Dr. Ramsay, over nearly all Australia. 



Order II. — Passeres. Perching Birds. 

 Family — Caprimidgidce. Goat-suckers or Night-jars. 

 Podargus Cuvieri (Cuvier's Podargus, or Mopoke). 

 A well-known and most singular-looking bird, of which genus 

 Dr. Ramsay gives no less than nine species as inhabiting Aus- 

 tralia. One, however, bearing the specific name of popuensis, 



