EOBrVANEELUS. 301 



eggs, which are four in number, are placed with the smaller end 

 inwards, and laid upon the ground by the side of some tuft of grass 

 or rushes in a slight hollowmade for their reception, with occasionally 

 a few blades of grass placed under and around them, but as often 

 as not without any sign of a nest. The ground colour of the eggs 

 varies from yellowish- and olive-brown to bright deep olive-green, 

 evenly spotted with deep blackish-brown and yellowish-brown, 

 which latter appear beneath the surface of the shell, the majority 

 of the markings being towards the larger end. They vary from 

 1 -9 to 2 inches in length, and from 1 -3 to 1 4 in breadth. My 

 brother has given me a most beautiful set of these eggs in which 

 the ground colour is of a bright deep olive-green evenly spotted 

 with deep blackish-brown. The Spur-winged Plover shows great 

 anxiety for its eggs and young, fluttering off as you approach and 

 using all the enticing actions in its power to draw you away from 

 the spot ; should a horse, cow, or any other quadruped approach, 

 it uses quite different means to save its treasures, and by flying 

 up in the animal's face and flapping it with its wings it quickly 

 produces the desired effect." (Ramsay, Ibis, 1867, Vol. iii., New 

 Series, p. 419, pi. ix., fig. 2.) 



Hab. Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, Wide Bay District, 

 Richmond and Clarence Rivers Districts, New South Wales, 

 Interior, Victoria and South Australia. {Ramsay.) 



LOBIVANELLUS MILES, Bodd. 

 (L. personatus, Gould.) 

 Masked Plover. 

 Gould, Sandbk. Bds. Aust, Vol. ii, sp. 501, p. 220. 



" This is a very common bird in the Cobourg Peninsula, 

 inhabiting swamps, the borders of lakes and open spots among 

 the mangroves, and like its near ally, is mostly seen associated 

 in small families. It is rather a noisy species, frequently 

 uttering a note, which is not unlike its native name, both while 

 on the wing and on the ground. The t^sk of incubation is 



