ceBiciJemus. 297 



The nest of this bird, if worthy of the name of a nest, is often 

 found with a single egg only. In the Dobroyde Collection there 

 are twenty-four eggs, of these eight sets were found' in pairs. 

 Mr. K. H. Bennett usually found nests with one egg. Mr. Edward 

 Lord Ramsay during 1887, found two nests at " Kerriegundah," 

 near Louth, New South Wales, each of which contained but a 

 single egg. During 1868, however, Mr. James Ramsay found no 

 less than four nests containing two eggs each, at Nanama, New 

 South Wales. Four averaged sized specimens measure as follows: 

 length (A) 3-2x 2-2 inches; (B) 3-11 x 2-07 inches; (C) .'5-25 x 2-22 

 inches; (D) 3'18 x 2-25 inches. Eggs of this bird are occasionally 

 found of a pale sky-blue tint. 



Rob. Derby, N.W. Australia, Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, 

 Rockingliam Bay, Port Denisoii, Wide Bay District, Dawson 

 River, Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South 

 Wales, Interior, Victoria and South Australia, West and South- 

 west Australia. {Ramsai/.) 



Family CHARADRIADiE. 



Genus (EDICNEMUS, Temminck. 



.^ (EDICNEMUS GRALLARTUS, Latham. 



Southern- Stone Plover. 

 Gould, Handbk. Bds. Aust, Vol. ii., sp. 496, p. 210. IXEZZT 3. 



This bird is found over the greater portion of the continent of 

 Australia. • Its peculiarly mournful and dismal note, uttered at 

 night time, has a most depressing effect on any belated traveller. 

 The eggs, two in number, are deposited on the bare ground in 

 open forest-lands. The eggs vary much in their markings, but 

 the most usual variety are of a light stone colour,, thickly 

 blotched all over with irregular shaped markings of umber-brown- 

 others are so closely marked as to nearly obscure the ground colour- 



