(EDICNEMUS GRALLARIUS. 



(Southern Stone Plover.) 



Ceown of the head, back of the neck, and back, grej, striped with brownish black ; lores, chin, and space surrounding the eye, white ; ear 

 coverts, a broad stripe down the side of the neck, and a narrow streak in front and beneath the eye, dark brown ; upper wing coverts and 

 tertiaries, brown, broadly striped with black down the centre— the latter margined with while ; lower coverts, white, tipped with brown, and 

 also striped with black ; primaries, brownish black, irregularly banded with white towards their extremities ; tail, brown, crossed by bands of 

 white and brown, and tipped largely with black ; breast and abdomen, huffish white, broadly striped with dark brown ; the remainder of the 

 under surface, white ; bill, black ; irides, yellow ; legs, yellowish olive, becoming darker on the feet. 



Length, 23 inches ; wing, 11^ ; tail, 7i ; bill, 2 ; tarsus, 5^ ; mid-toe, 2. 



This large and conspicuous species is found in all parts of Australia, except, perhaps, the most northern portions (unless those 

 found there are identical, of which there seems to be some doubt, as they differ in several particulars), and is of frequent occurrence, being 

 found in a great variety of situations — stony and ridgey country, flats and tea-tree swamps, and among the mangroves bordering rivers, 

 associating in numbers from two to ten. It is shy in disposition, and not easily approached, yet, confident in its peculiar disguise, will 

 sometimes almost suffer itself to be trodden upon before taking wing. Like many other birds, it employs the stratagem of feigning to be 

 wounded to entice the intruder from the vicinity of its nest. Its note is an extremely mournful whistling wail, which is uttered in the evening 

 and during the night, and resembles the syllables "wee loo" di'awn out and repeated several times. The eggs are deposited on the bare 

 ground, and are two in number; they are variable, but generally buff", and much blotched with brown of different degrees of intensity ; size 

 2i by 1| inches. It breeds from September to December. The food consists of insects and berries. 



