WHITE — A Sketch of the Life of Samuel White. 123- 



dottrel (Erytlirogonys cinctus) was found built of small sam- 

 phire twigs and placed in the top of a samphire bush. It con- 

 tained three slightlv incubated eggs. This is the first time 

 I have heard of this bird building a nest. As a rule the eggs 

 are laid on a bare mud bank, surrounded by water, but in this 

 case the swamp was so full that there was no suitable bank 

 available, so the birds had evidently adapted themselves to 

 circumstances. Mr. Tom Carter, of Western Australia, men- 

 tions (Mathews 1 Birds of Australia, Vol. III.) that he found 

 the nest of the Western Australian sub-species "well con- 

 cealed in a tuft of samphire," but says nothing of the construc- 

 tion of the nest. 



A flock of 20 marsh terns (HydrocJielidon leucopareia fluvia- 

 talis) were flying over the swamp, and judging by the clamour 

 they made when we approached some scanty nests built of 

 green rushes, they were intending to breed, but no eggs were 

 found. 



In company with my son I visited the swamp again on 

 October 16th. The stilts and grebes had nearly all hatched 

 their young, and the marsh terns had disappeared. We did 

 not succeed in finding a single stilt chick, though there must 

 have been many of them about. I have never yet seen the 

 chick of this bird. Young ones, just able to fly, are common 

 enough, as are old birds and eggs. I fancy the chicks must 

 be adepts at concealing themselves. On this second visit a 

 pair of red-kneed dottrels evidently had eggs or young in the 

 vicinity. I fancy the latter, for we quartered the ground, and 

 searched for the eggs for nearly an hour without finding them. 

 The behaviour of the old birds was most interesting, especially 

 one manoeuvre of falling into the water as though shot, and 

 lying partly submerged and feebly flapping with the wings. 

 They rose easily from the water when we left the neighbour- 

 hood. 



A Sketch of the Life of Samuel White- 

 Ornithologist, Soldier, Sailor, and Explorer. 



By His Sox, S. A. White. 



VII. THE OENITHOLOGIST. 

 We are now approaching the last few months of my 

 father's life, months full of activity and ornithological work.. 



